An internal ballot among Republicans in the Senate named U.S. Sen. John Thune of South Dakota as the next leader of the GOP in the chamber, replacing Mitch McConnell.

The vote came down to a two-way decider between Thune and U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, after U.S. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida was eliminated from the ballot with Thune grabbing the post of Republican leader on a 29-24 vote. Heading into the 119th Congress next year, where it looks like Republicans will hold a 53-47 majority control, Thune will assume the role of Senate Majority Leader, replacing New York Democrat Chuck Schumer. 

Thune, notably, had a better track record on gun rights than his competition. Cornyn notoriously voted for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in 2022, siding with the Democrat majority to pass the largest and most sweeping gun control in two decades. Meanwhile, Scott, a former governor who signed stacks of pro-gun laws while in office, only had a "B+" rating from the NRA in this last election cycle, largely for his past outspoken support for so-called "red flag" gun seizure laws. 

Moving up to the Senate in 2005 after six years as a Congressman, Thune has supported key gun rights legislation while in office. He co-sponsored the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act in 2005, which protects the American firearms industry from frivolous "lawfare" lawsuits, and has repeatedly attempted to move the needle on nationwide concealed carry reciprocity. He's also butted heads with the ATF and IRS for a decade on topics ranging from banning common ammunition types to questioning unfair tax audits of licensed gun dealers. 

Thune is currently a co-sponsor in the Senate of the Constitutional Concealed Carry Reciprocity Act in the 118th Congress. However, he is not a co-sponsor of pro-suppressor legislation such as the SHUSH Act or the Hearing Protection Act. 

"I strongly support the Second Amendment, which protects 'the right of the people to keep and bear arms," says Thune on his official website. "While others may disagree, I firmly believe the plain language of the Second Amendment guarantees the individual right of law-abiding citizens to own firearms. This must include robust due process protections to guard against any policies that would suspend or curtail someone's lawful Second Amendment right."

While he has been highly critical of President Trump in the past, on Wednesday Thune announced, "This Republican team is united behind President Trump’s agenda, and our work starts today."