John Thune, 63, defeated Sens. John Cornyn and Rick Scott in the secret-ballot vote to succeed Mitch McConnell as Senate majority leader.

Who senators choose, and whether Trump ultimately endorses a candidate in the final hours, could set the tone for Trump’s attempts to assert control over the legislative branch.

For instance, The Associated Press reported in 2020 that both McConnell and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer had won their party's leadership elections in secret ballots (although which of the two would be the "majority" leader and which would be the "minority" leader was still up for debate, since runoff elections in Georgia had not yet taken place).