Johnson Seeks Delay to Senate GOP Leadership Vote

Sen. Ron Johnson is organizing an effort to delay the Senate Republicans’ planned leadership election, scheduled for Tuesday, after the party’s poor election results. He plans to send a letter on Monday asking conference chairman Tom Cotton to convene Republicans before they vote in a closed-door meeting.

Johnson has argued that senators should review the party’s setbacks before choosing their leaders. He has called moving directly to an election without that discussion unacceptable and described proceeding so soon after the losses as political malpractice.

Sen. Mike Lee has said he will support the request. He argued Republicans should have time to examine the election results and determine who will be part of their conference before holding the leadership vote.

Under Senate Republican rules, five senators can require a special conference meeting by submitting a written request. The effort has faced resistance before: Republicans rejected a similar bid to postpone their leadership vote in 2022. Senators and aides do not currently expect this year’s election to move from Tuesday, though a conference meeting could be arranged before then.

The contest is expected to return John Thune to the leadership post, this time as leader of Republicans in the Senate minority beginning in January. No Republican has publicly announced opposition to Thune or a challenge for the position. Johnson has acknowledged that stopping the vote may be difficult and questioned who would want to take on the job.

Senate GOP Should Face Its Election Failures Before Choosing Leaders

Sen. Ron Johnson is seeking a delay in the Senate Republicans’ leadership election, scheduled for Tuesday, so the party can confront what went wrong in its election performance. His planned Monday letter to conference chairman Tom Cotton calls for a meeting before Republicans choose their leaders behind closed doors.

Johnson’s case is straightforward: moving ahead without a serious discussion of the losses would be political malpractice. Sen. Mike Lee is backing the request, saying the conference should assess the results and know its membership before voting.

Republican rules allow five senators to compel a special meeting through a written request. But senators and aides do not expect the vote to be postponed, despite the possibility of fitting a meeting in beforehand. A similar effort to delay the leadership election failed in 2022.

John Thune is widely expected to retain the post and lead Republicans in the Senate minority starting in January. No one has publicly declared a challenge. Proceeding on schedule would let the party settle its leadership without the deeper post-election discussion Johnson says is necessary.

Senate Republicans Face Leadership Delay as Party Seeks to Regroup

Sen. Ron Johnson is pushing to delay the Senate Republican leadership election scheduled for Tuesday, saying the conference should discuss its election setbacks before choosing its leaders. He plans to ask chairman Tom Cotton for a meeting in a letter on Monday.

Sen. Mike Lee has joined the effort, arguing Republicans need time to review the results and establish who will belong to the conference before voting. The party’s rules give five senators the power to demand a special meeting in writing, but the bid must overcome a leadership process already expected to proceed on schedule.

Senators and aides do not currently anticipate a delay. The conference could still meet before Tuesday, but a similar attempt to move a leadership vote was rejected in 2022. Johnson himself has acknowledged that blocking this vote may be an uphill struggle.

John Thune is expected to win another term as leader, taking Republicans into the Senate minority in January. No rival has publicly emerged, and no Republican has announced opposition to him. The immediate question is whether the conference will make room for a post-election review before it settles its leadership.