John Thune won re-election as Senate Republican leader on Tuesday at a closed-door Capitol meeting, running unopposed despite calls from some GOP colleagues to delay the vote and examine the party's midterm losses to Democrats.
Thune will lead Senate Republicans during Donald Trump's final years as president, as the party prepares to lose Senate power. Under his previous tenure, Republicans lost at least seven Senate seats in the midterms, with Alaska and Mississippi races still uncalled.
Some senators had sought to postpone the leadership vote. Senator Ron Johnson circulated a letter requesting a delay for "real soul searching," and Senator Josh Hawley said "maybe there would be" a challenger if the vote had waited. Neither senator challenged Thune, however. "That's part of our problem, who would want the job?" Johnson said.
Thune said the party's losses stemmed from multiple factors. "It was a combination of things and, most importantly, it was the cost of living for the American people," he told reporters. Some conservative voices have blamed his effort to pass the SAVE America Act, which would have required proof of citizenship and voter identification.
Senator Jim Lankford said there is "widespread support" for Thune among Republican senators. Lankford noted Thune takes a different approach than his predecessor Mitch McConnell by seeking out differing viewpoints before making major decisions.