“They’re all named John, aren’t they?” mentioned Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.). “Wow.”
McConnell confirmed Tuesday he’ll search to stay occasion chief after this fall’s midterms, no shock given his objective of surpassing the late Sen. Mike Mansfield’s record for leadership longevity a yr from now. Thune’s pursuit of a fourth time period, nevertheless, has left the Senate GOP newly abuzz over who may take the reins post-McConnell, since political trajectories can change in an on the spot in the Senate.
Thune agonized for almost a yr over operating once more, a alternative sophisticated by former President Donald Trump’s assaults on him for dismissing Trump’s efforts to problem Joe Biden’s win. But Trump’s assaults ceased, and as he measured his future, Thune mentioned the likelihood of sooner or later changing into Republican chief “put extra weight on the facet of staying round, for certain.”
“Hopefully we get the bulk again and sooner or later — no one is aware of when precisely that is likely to be in the long run — there most likely shall be some alternatives. And I by no means rule something out,” Thune mentioned in a Tuesday interview.
As whip, Thune has the clearest path to the job in the eyes of some Republicans till he’s term-limited out of his job in 2025. The 61-year-old as soon as mulled operating for president however has dedicated himself to the Senate after passing on nationwide ambitions.
However Cornyn, 69, brings his personal formidable resume: He ran the Nationwide Republican Senatorial Committee for 2 cycles, served as whip for six years and remains to be a McConnell confidante on the chief’s desk of advisers. The place Thune will be low-key, Cornyn brings a extra pugnacious fashion that leads another Republicans to see him as a pure successor to McConnell.
Thune declined to describe himself as the favourite regardless of his cozy spot in management: “I’d hate to say that. And I’m Scandinavian, so the glass is all the time half empty.” He downplayed any battle with Cornyn, whom he mentioned is his good friend.
Each Cornyn and Barrasso mentioned they congratulated Thune this week for his resolution to run once more, with the Wyomingite saying he’s “delighted” and declining to deal with a future management race. Cornyn mentioned Thune is “a crucial half of our convention and has a lot to supply,” whereas underscoring that a reelection run is a separate query than who succeeds McConnell.
“That’s one thing I’d like to pursue,” Cornyn mentioned Tuesday of the Senate GOP’s prime spot. “It’s a distinctive kind of a race as a result of you already know who the voters are, and it’s not likely influenced by outdoors influences. It’s actually extra of a matter of relationships and belief.”
The final management change on the Democratic facet occurred in a near-instant, with the late Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) asserting his retirement and instantly endorsing Sen. Chuck Schumer to succeed him. Schumer was not the whip on the time, however his political work on his occasion’s behalf, in addition to his relationship with Reid, helped elevate him to Democratic chief.
There’s no signal McConnell would give a Reid-style increase to both Cornyn or Thune, although he publicly inspired Thune to run once more. Nonetheless, even with McConnell’s time period not over till 2026, Republicans know that issues can all the time change — and alter rapidly.
Thune “has poised himself to [move up] with the duties that he has taken on as whip, and he has poised himself to achieve this with relationships with nearly all of us in the convention,” mentioned Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). “Sen. Cornyn has as nicely. The nice factor for us is, you will have a couple of actually distinctive people that may step up if McConnell decides to step out.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) mentioned the GOP is “lucky to have the three Johns” to select from. And although she mentioned Cornyn and Barrasso would do a “superb job,” she’s one of the few GOP senators prepared to weigh in on the shadow management race.
“John Thune presents a nice picture for our occasion. He has been concerned in a lot of completely different points. He’s served on various committees. He understands the variability of personalities that he wants to take care of,” Collins mentioned. “Because the second-highest-ranking particular person in management, to me he’s the logical successor.”
Cornyn’s energy base stems from his time as whip and occasion committee chair in 2010 and 2012 in addition to his continued fundraising prowess for the occasion and useful reelection win in 2020 after Democrats tried to make Texas a battleground state. Thune has accrued inner assist with the assistance of private dinners, large monetary transfers to the occasion committee and his position as present occasion whip.
Each senators mentioned their most vital election proper now could be this November, once they have a actual shot at taking again the bulk. However as one Senate Republican put it, the potential competitors between the 2 units up a “actually tough” alternative for the convention.
And timing could possibly be every thing: Thune is topic to the identical six-year time period limits as whip that rotated Cornyn out of the spot. Barrasso has spent a number of years utilizing his messaging operation to ingratiate himself with extra junior Republicans, lining up prolonged press conferences and serving to ease his path to change into the following whip — the identical perch that’s helped Cornyn and Thune place themselves to succeed McConnell.
If Trump mounts one other run for president, the shine of being Senate GOP chief may boring a bit. However in the instant time period, Trump has laid off Thune even after the senator introduced his reelection run. As a substitute, the previous president this week went after Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) for saying the 2020 elections have been pretty gained, which some Republicans mentioned Tuesday was useful to Thune.
“John’s a cautious man. Hes a deliberate particular person. He’s not impulsive from anyway that I can inform, besides on a basketball courtroom,” Cramer mentioned of his fellow Dakotan. “John most likely has a fairly good sense of his probability of success.”
But if there’s a favourite McConnell inheritor, nobody is saying. Thune and Cornyn aren’t asking for anybody’s assist, and each say they they will assist McConnell so long as the Kentuckian is in workplace. Some senators assume McConnell’s set to keep round as chief till the tip of his Senate profession, regardless of Trump’s relentless assaults on him and calls for brand new management.
“I don’t see Mitch McConnell relinquishing his management publish prior to some future resolution not to run for reelection,” Collins mentioned. She estimated a management marketing campaign “wouldn’t occur for most likely 5 years from now.”
Nonetheless, the unofficial battle of the Johns could be very actual. And as Cornyn put it: “I strive to all the time be ready.”
