Thune Plans to Run for Senate Minority Leader After the GOP Loses the Chamber, Fox Reports; a Second Source Floats Mike Lee as an Alternative
A source close to the South Dakota Republican says he will seek the top Republican job in a Democratic Senate. Fox says it is unclear whether he will be challenged, and one unnamed Republican source says his ambition may draw backlash.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., intends to run for Senate minority leader after Republicans lost control of the chamber, according to a source close to Thune who spoke to Fox News Digital.
The numbers. Fox says Republicans lost at least five seats on Tuesday, including races in traditionally Republican states such as South Carolina and Texas, and that the Senate margin not only flipped but widened.
Thune's case. Thune posted that the conference "put up a strong record of accomplishment that's created safer streets, more money in Americans' pockets, and new opportunities for families and businesses to get ahead." He said Republicans "prevented the largest tax hike in American history, secured our border in an unprecedented way, confirmed the president's Cabinet at the fastest pace in two decades," and put conservative judges on the bench faster than at any time since the Reagan era.
Breitbart adds a line. In a separate report, Breitbart says Thune vowed that Senate Republicans "will not stand idly by" as "the far-left, socialist wing of the Democrat Party" tries to unwind their accomplishments. We read only Breitbart's summary of that report.
The friction. Fox notes Thune was criticized earlier this year by Trump and House Republicans because the Senate did not pass the SAVE America Act. The bill passed the House three times in 2026 but stalled under the Senate's 60-vote filibuster threshold. Fox says it is not clear whether Thune will face a challenger. A second source close to the Senate Republican majority told Fox that Thune's ambition "might land him serious backlash," arguing the conference did not deliver on key parts of the president's agenda. That source pointed to the Senate being in session 217 days in 2025 and 148 in 2026, and suggested outspoken Trump allies such as Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, could be alternatives.
Related. Our earlier report covered Democratic lawmakers' warnings of subpoenas and investigations as they take Congress.
What we could not check. Thune has not announced a leadership bid himself in anything Fox quotes; the report rests on an unnamed source close to him. The second source is also unnamed, and the session-day figures are theirs. We have not confirmed them.
Source: Fox News. Read the original report: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/thune-plans-run-republican-minority-leader-after-dem-midterm-takeover
Also cited: Breitbart, "John Thune Vows That 'Senate Republicans Will Not Stand Idly By' as Democrats Unwind Republican's Accomplishments": https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/11/03/john-thune-vows-that-senate-republicans-will-not-stand-idly-by-as-democrats-unwind-republicans-accomplishments/