Driving the news: Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Ted Budd (R-N.C.) and John Kennedy (R-La.) all signed a letter demanding that the leadership election be delayed to allow more discussion about what went wrong for the party last week.
- Senators Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) and Jim Banks (R-Ind.) supported them in statements published on X.
- Johnson threatened to skip the vote if the delay did not occur.
Between the lines: The decision technically rests with conference chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) — although it’s usually made with buy-in from leadership.
- The election is expected to take place as scheduled Tuesday morning, unless a senator proposes a delay and it passes with a majority — which seems unlikely given the number of public supporters, according to a source familiar with the planning discussions.
- Despite arguments that Thune should not be able to secure his leadership so quickly, no one has jumped into the ring to challenge him.
The bottom line: At this point, none of the leadership elections are competitive.
- Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Conference Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Policy Committee Chairman Shelley Moore Capito (RW.Va.) and Conference Vice Chairman James Lankford (R-Okla.) are expected to retain their places as Nos. 2, 3, 4 and 5 at the conference summit. Moreno is the only candidate for NRSC president.
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