U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., lost his bid Wednesday to become Senate majority leader, with GOP lawmakers choosing Sen. John Thune of South Dakota.
Thune received 25 votes in a second round of balloting, edging out Texas Sen. John Cornyn, who received 24 votes, according to various media reports.
Scott, a former two-term governor who was easily re-elected to a second term in the Senate last week, received 13 votes in an initial round of voting. Republicans captured the Senate majority in the Nov. 5 elections. Longtime Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky did not seek to remain in the role.
“I want to thank my colleagues and the millions of Americans who supported my run and made their voices heard to demand change,” Scott wrote in a post on X after the vote. “We will never stop fighting to turn our country around, advance President Trump’s agenda & Make America Great Again.”
Scott was a frequent critic of McConnell and in 2022 lost a 37-10 vote in a bid to become GOP leader. This year, Scott campaigned for the post as a loyal lieutenant to Trump, saying Monday during an appearance on Fox News that “I believe I'm going to win because I represent exactly what the Trump team wants and what Trump wants."
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