At stake in the Nov. 5, 2024 U.S. election was more than just president: 34 seats in the Senate and all 435 House of Representatives seats were up for election as well. Results in these races mirroring those seen with presidential contest, won by former President Donald Trump – Republican Party. Trump won both races with 53 out of 53 needed for majority control – giving his party 53 Senate seats outright (more than 50 needed for majority rule).
But the Senate race wasn’t all about seats alone: At the end of February, Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, one of America’s longest-serving Senate majorities leaders and majority holders since 1917, announced his intention to step down following November elections and Republican senators would need to vote on who should replace him as majority leader.
At first, three candidates competed for this role – South Dakota Senator John Thune, Texas Sen. John Cornyn and Florida Sen. Rick Scott were competing. Trump publicly backed Scott but as of this writing the race is far from over yet; Republicans will vote to choose their new leader on Nov 13 through secret ballot voting.
Some conservative social media pundits regarded the secret ballot process as troublesome or even disgraceful:
Such posts implied that party leaders were normally elected through open ballot, while Republicans chose instead to conduct their vote behind closed doors this time around. That, however, is far from being the case: It is normal for party leaders to be selected via secret vote.
In 2020, The Associated Press reported that both Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer won their party leadership elections by secret ballots – although who will become majority or minority leader was yet to be decided due to Georgia runoff elections that had yet to occur).
Party leaders do not occupy an official status outlined by the U.S. Constitution; rather, their roles developed through time as political parties found it useful. According to Senate.gov website, conference chairs of each party’s Senate coalitions served in similar capacities throughout the 1800s; this role began evolving into its modern form over the 1910s and 1920s, according to various sources.
“2024 Election Highlights: Republicans Gain Senate Majority.” AP News, https://apnews.com/live/senate-house-election-updates-11-5-2024 and Accessed 11 Nov 2024 Harry Reid endorses Chuck Schumer to succeed him as Senate Minority Leader (www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/03/27/harry-reid-endorses-chuck-schumer-to-succeed-him)/Kight, Stef W. and Mike Allen wrote an article entitled MAGA Media Flexes Its Muscle in Race for Senate Leader.” “Maga Media Rick Scott Is Senate Majority Leader.” Axios. 2024/11/10 // www.axios.com/2024/11/10/maga-media-rick-scott-senate-majority-leader and “McConnell, Schumer to Lead but Majority Uncertain.” AP News 10 November 2020 https://apnews.com/article/2020election2020mitchmcconnellelections7272b7d9dc6d00b02ec7dbfe6a0c0 ” “Mitch McConnell Will Step Down as Senate Republican Leader This November After an Impressive Run.” AP News (28 Feb 2024). Retrieved from https://apnews.com/article/mitch-mcconnell-senate-republican-leader-stepping-down ba478d570a4561aa7baf91a204d7e366 Newsweek published the full list of Republican senators endorsing Rick Scott for Majority Leader on 11 November 2024 at https://www.newsweek.com/full-list-of-republican-senators-endorsing-rick-scott-majority-leader-1984005—. Similarly, oddsmakers gave oddsmakers that Rick Scott has good chances of becoming Senate Leader: the oddsmakers noted his chances at 60% or lower of becoming leader before 2025 elections began in 2025 and 2026″. Newsweek (11 Nov 2024). Rick Scott’s chances of becoming Senate Leader According to Oddsmakers (1983681). U.S. Senate: About Parties and Leadership | Majority and Minority Leaders. Senate.gov offers more details of Senate Party Leadership at::text=”Depending upon which party each senator belongs to, coordinate their respective legislative strategies.” Accessed 11 November 2024.”U.S. Senate Election Results.” New York Times (5 November 2024). Available online via www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/11/05/us/elections/results-senate.html.
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