Seven Senate Republicans Move to Delay Leadership Vote After Midterm Losses

Updated 20:49 UTC, Nov. 10, 2026: Thune reelected Republican leader by acclamation

Senate Republicans reelected John Thune of South Dakota as their conference leader on Tuesday, returning him by acclamation with no challenger and no ballots cast against him, an aide said, according to Reuters. The result closed the challenge opened by Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and six colleagues, who had pressed to postpone the leadership elections until the party had absorbed its midterm losses.

Before electing the leader, the conference voted 31 to 15 to press ahead rather than postpone, the New York Post reported. Johnson walked out after losing that vote. The rest of the leadership team was also returned: John Barrasso of Wyoming as whip, Tom Cotton of Arkansas as conference chair, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia as policy chair and James Lankford of Oklahoma as conference vice chair. Bernie Moreno of Ohio will replace Tim Scott of South Carolina as chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the one change in the team, according to The Center Square.

Thune, now the majority leader, will lead Republicans as a minority of no more than 46 senators when the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3. Democrats flipped Republican held seats in Iowa, Kansas, Maine, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina and Texas, and their candidates lead in the still uncalled races in Alaska and Mississippi. "I am honored to have their continued trust and support to lead the Senate Republican Conference in the 120th Congress," Thune said in a statement after the vote, reported by The Center Square.

WASHINGTON: Seven Senate Republicans are pressing to postpone their party's leadership elections, set for Tuesday morning, arguing that the conference should reckon with last week's midterm losses before it chooses the team that will lead it into the minority.

Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is leading the effort. In a letter to Senate Republican Conference Chairman Tom Cotton of Arkansas, Johnson called the midterm result a "stunning defeat" and said holding leadership elections without a full discussion would be "political malpractice," according to The Hill. Senators Ted Budd of North Carolina, Rick Scott of Florida, Mike Lee of Utah and John Kennedy of Louisiana signed the letter.

The five signatures matter. Under conference rules, five senators can force a meeting of the full Republican conference to discuss postponing the vote, according to Axios. The elections are scheduled for Tuesday morning in the Old Senate Chamber, in a closed-door conference meeting.

Two more Republicans backed a delay in their own statements, bringing the public total to seven. Senator Jim Banks of Indiana said, "We need to elect Republican leadership in the Senate, but tomorrow is too soon," according to Bloomberg. Senator Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania made the same call a day earlier, saying Republicans should not move to leadership elections until they have digested and debated the lessons of the midterms, and said he had raised the point directly with Majority Leader John Thune.

What the group wants instead

Johnson wants Tuesday's meeting turned into a conference discussion first. He has asked that any vote wait until leadership candidates explain what kind of collaborative governing model they would follow and what strategy they would use against the incoming Democratic majority, Roll Call reported. He has also noted that two Senate races from November 3 were still uncalled, an argument Senator Lee has made as well.

Johnson was blunt about his own plans if the vote goes ahead. "If you hold the election, I'll leave the room," he told a Washington Examiner reporter on Monday. On social media he wrote, "I simply won't participate in business as usual. An election defeat of this magnitude demands change."

Thune still unopposed

No senator has announced a challenge to Thune, who has led the conference since January 2025 and is set to become minority leader when Democrats take control of the Senate in January. Scott, who ran for the top job in 2022 and 2024, has said he has no plans to run again. Thune has left the timing question to his colleagues and has questioned whether a delay would change anything, the Washington Times reported.

The decision on whether to postpone rests with Cotton as conference chair, according to Axios. As of Monday evening the Tuesday election remained on the schedule.

Republicans lost at least seven Senate seats on November 3 and lost the majority, while Democrats also won control of the House. The leadership fight is the first public sign of how the party plans to handle the defeat, and whether the argument stays procedural or turns into a contest for the job itself will be clear when senators gather on Tuesday.