- McCormick joins Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) in urging Republicans to postpone leadership elections.
- No one has officially announced a challenge to Thune, who has led the GOP conference since January 2025. But there is clearly growing unease about the conference’s plans to move quickly to leadership elections.
- Tuesday’s elections should still take place, according to a source close to the matter.
What they say: “One of the things I learned in business and in the military is that after failure, you have to start with honesty, transparency and accountability,” McCormick wrote Sunday night on X.
- “A week ago, we had the worst election results in decades. We need a discussion about what went wrong, how to fix it, what we stand for, and how our agenda should focus on the concerns of the American people.”
McCormick said he has already raised his concerns directly with Thune.
- “I do not believe we should proceed with leadership elections until we have digested and debated the lessons of the midterm elections and how to move forward,” he wrote.
- “We need leadership in place quickly, but Tuesday is too early. I know it’s common practice to go straight to leadership elections in recent years, but we shouldn’t rush.”
Zoom out: President Trump repeatedly clashed with Thune throughout the year over the Senate’s failure to advance key parts of his agenda, including the SAVE America Act and Thune’s resistance to eliminating the filibuster.
- Trump renewed his criticism after the midterm elections, blaming the Senate in part for Republicans’ electoral defeats.
- “We had a bad election because of several things. One of them was not getting things approved in the Senate,” Trump told reporters.
Between the lines: Asked Friday whether Thune should remain Republican leader, Trump declined to take a position.
- “It will be up to the Republicans. They choose. I don’t choose. They choose,” Trump told reporters.
- “I mean, I’m involved, but they choose. It’s a very strong custom and it’s going to happen, I guess, next week.”
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