Senate Republicans are pressing to postpone Tuesday’s leadership elections, demanding a reckoning over last week’s midterm losses before deciding who should lead the party into the minority.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has no announced challenger and remains favored to win another term. But several colleagues say Republicans need to confront their failures before casting ballots.
The push gained another supporter Sunday when Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., called for a debate about the party’s direction.
“I don’t believe we should move to leadership elections until we have digested and debated the lessons of the midterms and how to move forward,” he said in a statement. “We need leadership in place fast, but Tuesday is too soon.”
McCormick’s intervention widened an effort backed by Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Jim Banks of Indiana, Mike Lee of Utah and Rick Scott of Florida. Sens. John Kennedy of Louisiana and Ted Budd of North Carolina also signed a letter seeking a postponement.
The dispute comes as Republicans prepare to surrender their House and Senate majorities in January, leaving the party to determine how to advance President Donald Trump’s agenda under a Democratic-controlled Congress.
Scott argued Saturday that Republicans should settle on their next steps before choosing their leaders.
“The first thing you do is you say, ‘Okay, what are we going to change? We have to change something.’” Scott said in a Fox News interview. “Let’s sit down and decide what we’re gonna do differently. Then we can decide who’s gonna be the leader.”
POLL: Will America Regret Giving The Democrats Power?
Scott, who previously sought the conference’s top job, has said he does not plan to run again.
🚨 BREAKING: Indiana Sen. JIM BANKS just announced he’s BLOCKING the effort to reelect John Thune as Senate GOP Leader this week, joining plans to DELAY it
GREAT NEWS! 🔥
That makes at least 6 GOP senators now publicly on board:
– Ron Johnson (WI), leading the push
– Mike Lee (UT)
– Rick Scott (FL)
– John Kennedy (LA)
– Dave McCormick (PA)
– Jim Banks (IN)“We need to elect Republican leadership in the Senate, but tomorrow is too soon.”
“Our conference needs to sit down and have a frank conversation about where we fell short, what we stand for, and what we’re going to do for the working families who sent us here.”
“Let’s have that discussion first.”
Johnson’s letter to Conference Chair Tom Cotton calls rushing the vote “political malpractice” after a “stunning defeat”
Five senators can force a special conference meeting. The vote is set for tomorrow morning, and the pressure is building! 👏🏻
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 9, 2026
Thune, meanwhile, has defended Senate Republicans’ record and pledged to fight Democratic efforts to reverse their work.
In a postelection statement, he pointed to the conference’s actions on taxes, border security, Cabinet confirmations and conservative judicial appointments.
“I’m proud of our team and everything we’ve done for the American people, and I’m looking forward to the important work we have in front of us over the next few months,” he wrote in an X post. “As we head into 2027, Senate Republicans will not stand idly by as the far-left, socialist wing of the Democrat Party attempts to unwind everything we’ve done.”
The leadership elections remain scheduled for Tuesday. Republicans seeking a delay must persuade enough colleagues to postpone the vote.
