John Thune’s Opportunity

National Review Online

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

 

Republicans elected Senator John Thune of South Dakota as their next majority leader who will now be charged with steering President-elect Donald Trump’s nominees, and his agenda, through the upper chamber in the face of stiff Democratic resistance.

 

The leadership race drew intense debate among activists and many prominent conservatives, with a number of allies of Trump promoting the candidacy of Senator Rick Scott, who they believed would be more loyal to Trump and represent more of a break from the stewardship of Senator Mitch McConnell.

 

Ultimately, though, the closed-door vote was anticlimactic. Scott was defeated on the first ballot, and then Thune edged out Senator John Cornyn 29–24.

 

While the symbolism is that this is a victory for the entrenched Senate establishment over the base, in reality, there is broad agreement on key parts of the policy agenda among Republicans.

 

In remarks after his victory, Thune emphasized the need to support Trump’s agenda, specifically mentioning economic deregulation, achieving “energy dominance,” and providing the tools necessary to secure the border.

 

Reassuringly to those of us who believe in the constitutional primacy of the legislative branch, Thune made it clear that he views the Senate role as an independent body rather than just an extension of the White House. He said there would not be any changes to filibuster rules and did not embrace a blank-check approach to nominations via recess appointments.

 

While he would not close the door on recess appointments, he noted that the Senate “has an advise and consent role under the Constitution” and said that there should be confirmation hearings. At the same time, he indicated that Republicans would be able to process nominees with alacrity.

 

The question of how deferential the Senate will be to Trump will be put to an early test by the nomination of just-resigned representative Matt Gaetz to be attorney general. The conflict over his nomination is likely to be the first of a number of issues that will come up over the course of the year that could put a strain on the conference. Lawmakers will have to figure out a way to balance the extension of expiring provisions of the Trump tax cuts with deficit concerns, and there will be fights over Ukraine funding and tariffs. Thune has been a supporter of Ukraine aid, saying in March that “America cannot retreat from the world stage.” Over the summer, he criticized Trump’s ideas for across-the-board tariffs of 10 percent or 20 percent as a “recipe for increased inflation” but showed more openness to targeted tariffs to punish bad actors, such as China.

 

Thune will have some big shoes to fill after McConnell’s historic run as leader. The Kentuckian used his mastery of Senate procedure to stymie left-wing aspirations when in the minority and to shepherd through judicial nominations and other conservative policy aims when in the majority.

 

That said, McConnell’s approach also meant a more closed process that frustrated more populist conservatives. Thune, in running for leader, vowed to solicit more feedback from other Republicans and create a more open amendment process. Thune will have a great opportunity ahead of him, but no easy task. We wish him the best.