Inside GOP Senate’s Tense Post-Election Reckoning: Thune Clashes With Republican Critics

Republicans weigh their next steps

Senate Republicans spent hours discussing how to use their remaining time in power and whether their current leadership was the right choice for a new period in Washington, D.C. Some closed-door meetings during the party’s nearly two years in control of the Senate grew heated. Policy discussions sometimes turned into shouting matches, including a dispute earlier this year between President Donald Trump and Sen. Bill Cassidy over the Iran war.

Thune wins another term

The leadership vote tested whether Republicans would keep John Thune, R-S.D., as Senate majority leader or postpone the decision until a challenger emerged. Thune and much of the leadership team elected two years earlier were chosen by acclamation. No lawmaker objected to the slate.

Delay push exposes a dilemma

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., drove the effort to delay the leadership elections, and he and Thune had some testy moments. Republicans seeking a delay also acknowledged a central difficulty: identifying someone willing to take the job.

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said he expected more emotion after the loss, but saw the response as a sign that Republicans recognized the problem. Thune’s central question was what another Senate Republican would have done differently in his position.