Sen. John Thune (R-SD), a longtime politician, will succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) in becoming the next Senate majority leader. 

Following a closed-door vote, Thune won the leadership role after a tight three-way race between himself and Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Rick Scott (R-FL). It’s a shake-up for Senate Republicans as McConnell held the post for more than 18 years, leaving elected officials and others in and around Washington wondering how Thune will control the upper chamber. 

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