Waiting In The Senate GOP Leadership's Wings: The Three Johns

Senate Republican leadership will take on a much more Western look if some of the most likely contenders to follow Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) are successful.

Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas), John Thune (R-S.D.) and John Barrasso (R-Wy.) are the leading candidates at this early stage, as all three are either currently in or have recently been a part of GOP Senate leadership. While the trio may share a first name, they would likely forge at least slightly different paths for the party.

It may take a few days to know whose hats will officially be in the ring, given both the Senate’s clubby nature and the backroom nature of party leader contests. Cornyn, however, told reporters Wednesday, “I’ve made no secret of my intentions,” a strong hint that he’s going to run.

Thune is the current party whip, making him McConnell’s top deputy. While conservative, the square-jawed Thune (who once made the political paper The Hill’s “50 Most Beautiful People On Capitol Hill” list) is seen as an effective advocate for Republican views on television.

Thune has put in his time, as well. He served three terms in the House before losing a Senate race in 2002. He was elected to the upper chamber finally in 2004, and moved up the Senate leadership ladder from leading the Republican Policy Committee and the Republican conference to his current No. 2 party spot.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) was Thune’s predecessor as whip between 2013 and 2019. Tall and affable, Cornyn appears well-liked within the conference and, like Thune, is known as press-friendly in a party that has seen its members become increasingly antagonistic toward the media. Cornyn’s sway was display in 2022 when he helped negotiate and get GOP support for a bipartisan gun