Senate Republicans on Wednesday added a woman to their leadership team for the first time in several years, by electing Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, to serve as GOP conference vice chair.
But the GOP left most of its team intact for the next Congress that starts in 2019. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will be the chamber’s top lawmaker for a third term.
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., was approved as the GOP’s new majority whip after having served as Republican Conference chairman since 2011. Thune takes over for Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, who had to step down because of the GOP’s term limits on the position.
Soon after the vote, Thune warned House Democrats, who will take over the majority in January, not to allow investigations into President Trump to dominate their agenda.
“We hope they will decided they want to play a constructive role … rather than spend all their time launching investigation,” Thune said. “We look forward anxiously to working in a constructive and bipartisan way the issues the American people expect us to take on.”
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., ran unopposed to move up one place in the leadership ladder to become Conference chair. Barrasso had been serving in the number-four position, policy committee chair.
Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., the policy committee vice chair, ran unopposed to take over as policy committee chair. The position of Republican conference vice chair was the only contested race. Senate Republicans next year will begin their third consecutive Congress in the majority in January.
