The revolt against Senator John Thune’s (RINO-S.D.) immediate re-election as GOP Leader is spreading.
As TGP readers know, Thune has decided to run again despite the worst GOP defeat in a midterm election since Watergate. The Senate Republican leadership elections are currently scheduled for Tuesday, November 10, at 9 a.m. in the Old Senate Chamber.
With Democrats poised to control the Senate in January, Thune would become Senate Minority Leader rather than continue as Majority Leader.
The Republicans lost a whopping NINE Senate Seats in the midterms, which means their number will decline from 53 to 44 by the time the next Congress is sworn in. A healthy party should never double down on failure.
On Monday, Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) sent a letter to Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton requesting a delay in the leadership elections until there is accountability for last week’s disastrous midterm results.
The letter was signed by Johnson and these four other GOP Senators: Ted Budd of North Carolina, Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah, and John Kennedy of Louisiana.
Sen. Ron Johnson has sent the letter to Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton calling for leadership elections to be delayed until Senate Republicans meet as a conference to discuss their “stunning defeat” in the midterms.
The letter is signed by Johnson, Ted Budd, Rick Scott, Mike Lee and John Kennedy.
@DailySignal— Virginia Grace McKinnon (@virginiagmck) November 9, 2026
As The Gateway Pundit reported earlier, Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania became the sixth GOP senator to block Thune’s immediate ascension.
“As l’ve shared with Leader Thune, I don’t believe we should move to leadership elections until we have digested and debated the lessons of the midterms and how to move forward. We need leadership in place fast, but Tuesday is too soon, McCormick wrote in a statement that he posted on X.
“I know it’s been the practice to go straight to leadership elections in recent years, but we should not rush it.”
https://t.co/h3bEe3TzBl
— Senator Dave McCormick (@SenMcCormickPA) November 9, 2026
Senator Jim Banks of Indiana then became the seventh.
My statement on the upcoming Senate Republican leadership race: https://t.co/0ZgXRxmGRQ
— Senator Jim Banks (@SenatorBanks) November 9, 2026
There are a wealth of excellent options to replace Thune, including many of the folks on this list.
But the majority of the Republican Party right now seems intent on following Thune off a cliff.
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