South Dakota Republican says Thune will 'be a great leader' for Senate
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) said Sunday that Sen. John Thune (R-S.C.) will “be a great leader” for the Senate as Republicans in the upper chamber prepare for a return to power.
“I’ve known John Thune since the 1980s, he's gonna be a great leader,” Rounds told NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt on “The Hill Sunday.”
“But the nice thing for Republicans is we've got three really quality individuals that are vying for the top office as the majority leader, and so, I've got nothing bad to say about any of the other two candidates, but I think we've got a real winner in John Thune,” he added.
Thune is facing off against Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) for long-serving Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) position. Republicans are also set to take control of the Senate in January due to the results of Tuesday’s election.
“And here's part of the deal,” Rounds said in his “The Hill Sunday” appearance. “He wants change in the Senate. He wants the Senate to actually get back and actually work. Let's actually try to get some things done on time for a change.”
Thune has recently been pushing President-elect Trump to not intervene in the race for leadership of the Senate Republicans, and has said that it is in the president-elect’s “best interests” to not take a side.
However, those supporting Cornyn and Scott have said that requests for Trump to steer clear of the race to replace McConnell signal anxiety from Thune about the president-elect possibly backing his rivals.
“He’s terrified. He knows that Trump won’t endorse him. If he knows that, then Trump getting involved hurts him,” a Senate Republican aide said.
The Hill has reached out to Scott's and Cornyn's offices for comment.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns The Hill.
Topics
-
Thune, Cornyn and Scott make their case to be next Republican Senate leader
Top stories - ABC News - 3 hours ago -
Trump Allies Push Him to Block Thune From Becoming Senate G.O.P. Leader
Top stories - The New York Times - Yesterday -
Rick Scott, John Thune or John Cornyn could be next Senate majority leader
Top stories - CBS News - 10 hours ago -
Trump wins South Dakota
Politics - The Hill - November 6 -
Trump's victory scrambles a three-way race for Senate Republican leader
Politics - NBC News - 5 days ago -
Trump makes demand as Senate Republicans prepare to elect new leader
Top stories - CBS News - Yesterday -
Bots Linked to China Target Republican House and Senate Candidates, Microsoft Says
Tech - The New York Times - October 23
More from The Hill
-
Rep. Ciscomani: House Speaker must deliver and keep Republicans unified
Politics - The Hill - 2 hours ago -
Conservatives abandon Speaker Johnson challenger for alternative protest strategy
Politics - The Hill - 3 hours ago -
Two Somali men sentenced to 30 years for kidnapping of American journalist
Politics - The Hill - 4 hours ago -
Democrat wins California House seat to replace Porter
Politics - The Hill - 4 hours ago -
Habba: I would 'very seriously' consider WH Press Secretary job
Politics - The Hill - 4 hours ago
Latest in Politics
-
'Who?' Some Republican senators surprised by Trump's defense pick
Politics - NBC News - 2 hours ago -
Rep. Ciscomani: House Speaker must deliver and keep Republicans unified
Politics - The Hill - 2 hours ago -
Conservatives abandon Speaker Johnson challenger for alternative protest strategy
Politics - The Hill - 3 hours ago -
Trump says Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy will head a new ‘Department of Government Efficiency’
Politics - NBC News - 3 hours ago -
Two Somali men sentenced to 30 years for kidnapping of American journalist
Politics - The Hill - 4 hours ago