January 1, Senate GOP Clings To Same Leadership After Crushing Midterm Defeat

Wyatt’s Take

• Republicans just suffered their worst Senate losses in decades, yet the same leadership team that steered the party into the ditch got re-elected behind closed doors.
• President Trump stayed out of the fight and let senators decide, but several members demanded a real accounting before moving forward.
• Thune and the old guard insist they will fight radical Democrat policies, but voters are still waiting to see results instead of more talk.

Senate Republicans voted Tuesday to keep John Thune as their leader despite losing at least seven seats in the midterms.

The secret vote took place quickly after Election Day, leaving little time for any serious review of what went wrong.

“Well, look, he’s a very fine man. I know him very well, but that’s really up to the Senate. I like John Thune,” Trump said. “I wish the Senate could get more done.”

Pennsylvania Senator John McCormick pushed for a delay, arguing the party needed honesty and accountability after the defeat.

“One of the things I learned in business and the Army is that after failure, you have to start with honesty, transparency, and accountability. A week ago, we had the worst election results in decades,” he said in a statement. “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.”

Senators Ron Johnson, Mike Lee, Rick Scott, John Kennedy, Ted Budd, and Jim Banks joined the call for a pause.

“I simply won’t participate in business as usual,” Johnson said, who reportedly planned to walk out of the closed-door meeting. “An election defeat of this magnitude demands change.”

Critics say Thune has moved too slowly on the president’s agenda and refused to end the filibuster, which blocks major legislation.

The losses leave Democrats with a possible 56-44 majority and could shut Republicans out of Senate control for years.

“Republicans are ready and willing to work with our Democrat colleagues, but that does not mean rubber-stamping a leftist agenda,” Thune said. “This election was a sign of Americans’ frustration with the high cost of living that they’ve been dealing with literally since the opening days of the Biden administration.”

“It was not a mandate for radical policy and socialist fantasies,” he added.

Wyatt Matters

Heartland families sent a clear message at the ballot box that they want lower costs and real results, not the same old excuses from Washington insiders.