John Cornyn becomes first Republican to announce bid to replace McConnell

Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas has thrown his hat into the ring to replace departing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, becoming the first member of his party to do so.

Mr Cornyn, a close ally of the minority leader, released a statement announcing his candidacy in which he pledged to end “backroom deals” and give members adequate time to read legislation before it is voted upon.

“I believe the Senate is broken — that is not news to anyone. The good news is that it can be fixed, and I intend to play a major role in fixing it,” said the Texas Republican on Thursday.

He is far from the only candidate expected to mount a bid. Others including members of leadership such as John Thune, Joni Ernst and John Barrasso are expected to consider running for the top spot as well.

There’s also the possibility of a candidate backed by Donald Trump, such as Rick Scott. The Florida Republican previously challenged Mr McConnell for control of the Senate GOP caucus in 2022.

Mr Cornyn is known as being supportive of bipartisan compromise in the Senate while also being a fierce advocate for Republicans. He previously led the Senate GOP’s campaign arm, where he helped engineer key victories for his party and raised millions for his colleagues. Like many of his colleagues, he has endorsed Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race, though doing so only after the former president established a clear frontrunner status with victories in Iowa and New Hampshire.

The election of the next Senate Republican leader is likely to be a test of former President Donald Trump’s influence in the Senate Republican caucus, which has long been an obstacle to his total control of the Republican Party. The obstinance of the Senate GOP caucus — at