The incoming Senate Republican Conference is set to convene for secret ballot elections on Wednesday morning to determine several key leadership positions for the 119th Congress. Among the positions up for election is the successor to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who will lead the Republican majority in the upcoming year.
The elections will include the selection of a new leader, Republican whip, conference chair, Republican policy committee chair, vice conference chair, and National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) chair. The candidates vying for the leader role are Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., and Senators John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rick Scott, R-Fla.
Prior to the elections, a leader candidate forum was held on Tuesday, led by Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, where 42 GOP senators participated. The discussions covered a range of issues, including procedural, substantive, and policy-oriented matters. Notably, President-elect Donald Trump has refrained from endorsing any candidate in the Senate leader race.
Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso, R-Wyo., is running unopposed for whip, while Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., are also running unopposed for vice conference chair and Republican policy committee chair, respectively. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., is running unopposed for NRSC chair.
Sens. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, and Tom Cotton, R-Ark., will compete for the No. 3 GOP role of conference chair. The elections are scheduled to take place in the old Senate chamber in the Capitol, with each candidate receiving two nominating speeches from fellow senators before making their case.
The voting process will be conducted via secret ballot, with candidates needing to secure a majority vote from the 53-member conference, requiring at least 27 votes for election. The results of the elections will not take effect until the new Congress commences in January.
