By Cindy Chetti, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, NMHC
Cindy Vosper Chetti is Senior Vice President for Government Affairs, with responsibility for managing NMHC’s federal legislative and regulatory advocacy strategy agenda. She also oversees NMHC’s political operations and the NMHC PAC. Learn more about Cindy.
Members of the Senate on Wednesday elected John Thune as the new Senate Majority Leader— winning a three-way election to succeed Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has led the Senate Republicans since 2007 and is the longest-serving Senate Party leader in U.S. history.
The majority leader has the power to set the schedule for the Senate—which has sole control over confirmations of the Cabinet, about 1,200 other high-level government jobs and a president’s judicial nominees—making it one of the most powerful positions in Washington.
The 63-year-old South Dakotan will take over in January at the turn of the new Congress, when Republicans are expected to control the government trifecta: the House, Senate and the presidency. Thune will have some room to maneuver in his own chamber, with Republicans’ 53-seat majority, as the party considers wide-ranging legislation that would tackle tax cuts, immigration and energy policy.
Senate Republicans also elected:
- John Barrasso, Whip
- Tom Cotton, Republican Conference Chair
- Shelly Moore Capito, Chair of the Republican Policy Committee
- James Lankford, Vice Chair of the Senate GOP Policy Committee
- Tim Scott, Chair of National Republican Senatorial Committee
Meanwhile in the House, Republicans unanimously re-elected Speaker Johnson to serve as Speaker of the House in the 119th Congress on Wednesday just after they secured majority control of the lower chamber for another two years.
House Republicans also elected:
- Rep. Steve Scalise to serve as Majority Leader
- Rep. Tom Emmer to serve as Majority Whip
- Rep. Lisa McClain to serve as Conference Chairwoman
- Rep. Richard Hudson to serve as NRCC Chairman
- Rep. Blake Moore to serve as Conference Vice Chairman
- Rep. Kevin Hern to serve as Conference Policy Chair
- Rep. Erin Houchin to serve as Conference Secretary
House Democrats will hold their leadership elections on November 19 and 20. As of this writing, Senate Democrats have yet to set a date for their leadership elections.