The election of Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as the next leader of his party in the chamber 맥스카지노� putting him on track to become Senate majority leader next year 맥스카지노� tasks a key ally of Mitch McConnell with shepherding the agenda of President-elect Donald Trump through Congress.In choosing Thune 맥스카지노� who is presently serving as minority whip, the No. 2 role in GOP Senate leadership 맥스카지노� Republicans are elevating a leader associated with the establishment wing of the party over Florida Sen. Rick Scott, who was championed in recent days by several prominent Trump allies, including Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy and Tucker Carlson. The election was conducted by secret ballot, which might have allowed Republicans wary of offending Trump맥스카지노�s most ardent supporters some political protection. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, another McConnell ally, also vied for the leadership post.Thune, who won Wednesday맥스카지노�s vote 29-24 in the second round of voting against Cornyn, will officially become majority leader when the new Senate is sworn in on Jan. 3. McConnell, who has led Senate Republicans since 2007, announced in February that he would step down as GOP leader this year.In a Monday op-ed on Fox News맥스카지노� website, Thune, making his case for the leadership role, urged fellow Republicans to prioritize backing Trump맥스카지노�s agenda, including the president-elect맥스카지노�s plans to crack down on immigration, bring down prices, increase domestic energy production and pass tax legislation.맥스카지노�We cannot afford to take this coalition for granted. If we fail to deliver on President Trump맥스카지노�s priorities, we will lose their support,맥스카지노� Thune wrote. 맥스카지노�They have trusted us with their votes. Now we have to roll up our sleeves and get to work.맥스카지노�Immediately, Thune will be swept into a controversy brewing over Trump맥스카지노�s demand that the upper chamber use recess appointments to install his nominees, bypassing the formal advice and consent confirmation process, which historically has allowed the minority party to block a president맥스카지노�s picks. The three Republican senators who vied for majority leader all publicly supported Trump맥스카지노�s demand following his election victory, with Thune posting on X that 맥스카지노�all options are on the table맥스카지노� to quickly confirm Trump맥스카지노�s nominees. Both the demand and the quick acquiescence by Thune, Scott and Cornyn signal a Republican-led Senate that will be eager to fast-track Trump맥스카지노�s agenda.Thune, 63, has had a complicated relationship with the president-elect. He called for Trump to drop out of the 2016 race in the wake of the infamous 맥스카지노�Access Hollywood맥스카지노� scandal 맥스카지노� though Thune later said he still planned to vote for Trump. And he condemned Trump맥스카지노�s actions surrounding the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot as indefensible. Still, when Trump faced a vote in the Senate following his impeachment over the incident, Thune sided with McConnell and most of the Republican caucus in voting 맥스카지노�not guilty.맥스카지노�Trump didn맥스카지노�t forget the slight, calling for South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to mount a primary challenge against Thune in 2022, though she demurred. Thune overwhelmingly won the primary that year and cruised to victory in the general election.In May 2023, Thune endorsed Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina in the Republican presidential primary. But, as it became clear that Trump would capture the GOP nomination for a third straight time, Thune sought to mend relations with the former president.Thune met with Trump at the former president맥스카지노�s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in March, and they맥스카지노�ve spoken several times since, CNN previously reported. Thune also met with the chairs of Trump맥스카지노�s transition team, Howard Lutnick and Linda McMahon, in Washington earlier this month, a person familiar with the matter said.Thune was first elected to the Senate in 2004, winning in a major upset against Sen. Tom Daschle, who was then the sitting Democratic leader.