WASHINGTON (CN) — Senate Republicans may be forced in November to pick their favorite John, as the field of candidates vying to lead the caucus shrank Tuesday to just two of the upper chamber’s top GOP lawmakers.
In the wake of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s announcement last week that he would soon step aside from his role as party boss, speculation swirled that Republicans would elect one of the “three Johns” — Texas Senator John Cornyn, South Dakota Senator John Thune or Wyoming Senator John Barrasso — as his replacement.
However, the winds shifted Tuesday morning as Barrasso, chair of the Senate Republican Caucus, told colleagues in a letter that he would instead run for GOP whip.
“I have had time to reflect on how I might best serve you, our entire Republican Conference and our country,” the lawmaker wrote. “After a lot of thought, I will be asking for your support and help so I might work for you as the Assistant Republican Leader.”
Barrasso’s announcement comes after Thune, who is currently the Senate’s Republican whip, made his run for party leadership official Monday evening.
Speaking to local media in South Dakota, Thune said he would do everything he could to convince his fellow Republicans to support his bid, positioning himself at the forefront of a “new generation” of GOP lawmakers providing a check on Senate Democrats through “consistent, principled, conservative leadership.”
With Thune in and Barrasso out, the odds of a two-man faceoff between the South Dakota senator and Cornyn — who announced his own Republican leadership run last week — are increasingly likely.
Texas’s senior senator is sure to be a formidable opponent for Thune. Cornyn, 72, has more Senate experience than his younger colleague. The lawmaker was Senate Republican whip during the Trump administration and led the National Republican Senatorial Committee under President Obama, spearheading the charge in 2014 to seize the upper chamber from Democrats.
In his campaign announcement, Cornyn said the Senate was “broken,” arguing that, among other things, committee authority had been weakened and the federal appropriations process had been corrupted.
“The good news is that it can be fixed,” the Texas Republican said, “and I intend to play a major role in fixing it.”
Although the battle for the Senate Republican throne appears now to be a duel of Johns, there is still plenty of time for other candidates to get in on the action. Other lawmakers, such as Montana Senator Steve Daines and Florida Senator Rick Scott, are reportedly weighing their own bids for the gavel.
Republican lawmakers will vote to crown their next leader in November, after McConnell steps aside. Whoever claims victory will assume control of the party in January 2025 — potentially under a Republican president or GOP Senate majority.
The forthcoming leadership shuffle will also have a ripple effect on the party’s lower echelons. If Thune ascends to Senate leader, it will leave the whip position open, although Barrasso has already announced his intent to take that slot.
Barrasso’s move to the No. 2 party position would force him to relinquish his spot as ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, leaving open a leadership role on one of the upper chamber’s most important panels.
Meanwhile, Kentucky Senator McConnell remains head of Senate Republicans. The longest-serving party leader in U.S. history told colleagues last week that he would remain in Congress even after his departure from GOP leadership. McConnell has said previously that he would not retire until at least 2026.
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