Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- Sen. Mike Lee and Sen.-elect John Curtis congratulated John Thune as the new Senate GOP leader.
- Lee supported Rick Scott, praising his efforts to reform Senate operations, despite Thune's win.
- Curtis emphasized Senate unity, drawing on his House experience and seeking to avoid internal conflicts.
WASHINGTON — Utah Sen. Mike Lee and Sen.-elect John Curtis congratulated John Thune after the South Dakota senator was picked to lead the Republican Senate caucus when the party takes control of the chamber next year.
Although Lee backed Florida Sen. Rick Scott, a close ally of President-elect Donald Trump, ahead of the vote Wednesday, he said he is looking forward to working with Thune and praised Scott for advancing a discussion about how the Senate should operate. Lee has been outspoken about his desire for changes to Senate rules and penned a letter to his colleagues last month outlining changes he said would empower individual senators.
"Congratulations to Sen. John Thune, who was just elected as the next Senate majority leader," Lee posted on his personal X account. "I was proud to support Rick Scott for the position. I'm even more proud of the work Rick has done to change the way the Senate GOP conference operates. His efforts are not wasted. The Senate as a whole has benefited from this debate about how we should operate. And the ideas brought forth will benefit the country for years to come."
Curtis, who has served in the House of Representatives since 2017 and was elected last week to replace Sen. Mitt Romney, called for unity in the Senate GOP — drawing on his experience in the House, in which the slim Republican majority has been prone to upheaval.
"The infighting I witnessed in the House derailed our efforts to achieve key goals: reining in spending, cutting inflation, lowering energy and food costs, holding China accountable, and unleashing American energy. We can't let that happen in the Senate," Curtis told KSL.com through a spokesman. "Congratulations to Sen. Thune, our next Senate majority leader. We now have the leadership to work with the president, unify our diverse coalition, and move forward on these priorities. It's the team that can focus, act and deliver results. Go. Fight. Win."
Votes for conference leaders are held by secret ballot, though some supporters of Trump — including Elon Musk — have called on Senate Republicans to disclose their votes publicly. Lee said Tuesday evening that he would support Scott. Curtis has not disclosed his vote.
Scott was eliminated after the first round of votes, and Thune triumphed over Sen. John Cornyn, of Texas, in the second round.
Lee moderated and hosted a forum with all three candidates Tuesday evening, after which he announced his support of Scott.
"While I personally like all three leadership candidates and consider them friends — and while each offers a unique set of skills, experience, and plans that could prove useful to the Senate and the American people — Rick Scott stands out as the most aggressively reform-minded candidate," he said on X.
He added: "Rick Scott's approach is also the most closely aligned with and focused on helping President Trump enact his legislative agenda, which is supported by more than 75 million American voters."
