On Thursday, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) became the first member to declare his candidacy to replace Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as leader of the Senate GOP.
Cornyn made the announcement one day after McConnell said he planned to step down from the position once his colleagues have elected a new leader in November and that person takes on the role in January.
“I am asking my Republican colleagues to give me the opportunity to succeed Leader McConnell,” Cornyn said in a statement. “I have learned a lot during my time both in and out of Senate leadership.”
First elected to the Senate in 2002, Cornyn is in his fourth term. Over the years, he has served as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) and then as Republican whip, the No. 2 ranking position within the Senate GOP.
Cornyn is also a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trump, voting in line with Trump’s position 92.2% of the time while Trump was in office and has endorsed him again in this year’s election.
“During my two terms as NRSC Chair, we shrunk Democrats’ majority by five seats and laid the foundation to retake the majority in 2014,” Cornyn said. “Then as the Republican Whip, I helped President Trump advance his agenda through the Senate, including passing historic tax reform and remaking our judiciary – including two Supreme Court Justices.”
Before joining the Senate, Cornyn served as a justice in the Texas Supreme Court and as Texas attorney general. The senator has been making headlines for his clash with the current Republican attorney general, Ken Paxton, over issues such as foreign aid.
Other Republicans who are being talked about as potential candidates for GOP leader include Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD), Senate Republican Conference Chairman John Barrasso (R-WY), Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), and NRSC Chairman Steve Daines (R-MT).
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In his pitch to colleagues, Cornyn touted a “track record of listening to colleagues and seeking consensus.” He added that his tenure in the Senate has been marked by “leading the fight to stop bad policies that are harmful to our nation and the conservative cause.”
Cornyn said he intends to “play a major role in fixing” the Senate by restoring its role in the constitutional republic. He targeted communication, transparency, and inclusion of expertise and opinion as areas for improvement.
“We will restore the important role of Senate committees and reestablish the regular appropriations process, rather than lurch from one crisis to another,” Cornyn said. “And we will return power back to our members; there will be no more backroom deals or forced votes on bills without adequate time for review, debate, and amendment.”
Cornyn concluded, “I am ready to get to work and look forward to continuing to engage with my colleagues.”