Who is Republican Sen. John Thune, the new Senate majority leader?

Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota was elected Senate majority leader on Wednesday after the GOP won control of the Senate last week.

Thune will replace GOP Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, who is stepping down from party leadership after serving an 18-year tenure, making him the longest-serving party leader in Senate history.

“I am extremely honored to have earned the support of my colleagues to lead the Senate in the 119th Congress, and I am beyond proud of the work we have done to secure our majority and the White House,” Thune wrote in a post on X following the vote.

The election was a three-way race between Thune and Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, both considered part of the Republican establishment, and Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, a MAGA Republican and Trump loyalist. There were two rounds of secret ballot voting, meaning senators’ votes were not publicized.

All three candidates ran on a pledge to carry out President-elect Donald Trump’s agenda. Trump remained neutral and did not endorse a specific candidate heading into Wednesday's Senate leader elections. But Trump did demand on social media that any candidate seeking the Senate leadership position “must agree to Recess Appointments” in the Senate, as a way to expedite his nominees for top Cabinet positions. All three candidates had agreed.

Now that Thune has been selected as the new Senate leader, who is he?

Thune, 63, is the No. 2 Republican in the upper chamber of Congress, currently serving as the Senate minority whip, a post he has held since 2021. He previously stepped in for McConnell for a few weeks last year when he was on medical leave.

Thune has served in the Senate since 2005 — after he defeated then-Senate Minority Leader Democrat Tom Daschle — and is currently in his fourth Senate term. As a veteran legislator, he is also “well-liked and a respected communicator” among his Senate colleagues, according to the Associated Press.

Thune was previously critical of Trump and called his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election and his conduct during the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol “inexcusable.” However during the past year, their relationship seems to have smoothed as Thune and Trump have spoken over the phone and Thune has visited Trump in Florida.