Wyoming Sen. Barrasso will run for No. 2 spot in GOP leadership, narrowing race to replace McConnell

WASHINGTON (AP) — Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso announced Tuesday that he will run for the No. 2 spot in the Senate Republican conference after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell steps down from the top post at the end of the year, bowing out of the race for leader after two of his colleagues announced they would run.

Texas Sen. John Cornyn and South Dakota Sen. John Thune have announced they will campaign to replace McConnell, who said last week that he will step down from his leadership post but remain in the Senate after the November elections. It has long been speculated that Barrasso could run as well, making the contest a race among “the three Johns.”

But Barrasso said in a brief statement that he has had time to reflect on how he might best serve, and, “after a lot of thought, I will ask my colleagues for their support and help to work for them as the Assistant Republican Leader.”

Barrasso is No. 3 in leadership as the chairman of the Senate Republican conference. His wife, Bobbi Barrasso, died in January after a two-year struggle with brain cancer.

The Wyoming senator’s announcement narrows the race between Cornyn and Thune, both of whom are popular with their GOP colleagues and have been loyal deputies to McConnell. Thune replaced Cornyn as McConnell’s No. 2 in leadership five years ago after the Texas Republican was term-limited out of the post.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Wyoming starts selecting presidential delegates Saturday. But there’s not a