Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) openly acknowledged on Thursday that he is exploring a run for leader, just hours after Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced he would retire from the post in November.
“I’m having lots of conversations with our colleagues,” he told reporters outside his office. “And so, getting insight, input from them about where they see the future headed and what they want out of the next Senate Republican leader. And so, they’re great conversations.”
However, Thune also made clear he is in no rush to announce a bid. A spokesman told the Washington Examiner Thune will hold “substantive conversations over the next few days and weeks about the future, but he intends on keeping those conversations private.”
The statement stands in contrast to the maneuvering of Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), another possible successor who launched a bid just minutes earlier. Thune is viewed as the early favorite due to his role as minority whip, but Cornyn, too, has experience in the post and is a longtime adviser to McConnell.
It’s no surprise that either is exploring a run. There are three “Johns” seen as leading contenders. The third, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY), told reporters on Wednesday that he would speak with colleagues about “what direction they want to take the conference.”
Barrasso, the No. 3 Republican in the Senate, is viewed as the most conservative, though dark horse candidates such as Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) could emerge in the campaign’s final weeks.
“I think these are the worst-kept secrets in Washington right now,” Thune joked.
Thune’s reluctance to make his bid official reflects how the race will be a marathon, not a sprint. The conference has until November before the next leadership election is held.
Part of the campaign is convincing members the new leader can serve as a bridge to a fractured and ideologically diverse conference. But it’s also about making nice with Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president.
Like Cornyn, Thune has a rocky past with Trump. The two urged the party to move past him following his loss in 2020.
Cornyn, who finally endorsed Trump in January, told reporters he called him on Wednesday to make clear his intention to run for Senate leader.
Thune said he has not spoken with Trump about the race per se, but he made clear he would be an asset to him should he win a second term in the White House.
Thune noted he was one of the “key negotiators” for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed under Trump and helped usher 154 judges across the floor during his administration.
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“The point I guess I would simply make is, I worked closely with him when he was president last time,” he said. “We got a record of accomplishment of getting things done for the American people.”
Thune endorsed Trump on Sunday, becoming the highest-ranking Senate Republican to back the former president’s candidacy.
