Ron Johnson skipped the leadership vote after midterm defeat
Barrasso calls for unity and vows fast action on judges
Republican senators have elected Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso to serve as minority whip in the incoming 120th Congress. As the No. 2 party leader next year, Barrasso will move from running the floor for a majority to leading opposition — a shift forced by Democrats’ sweep of the midterm elections, which gave them control of the Senate as well as the House.
The job will look different from his past two years as majority whip, Barrasso told colleagues in a Monday letter obtained by Politico.
“As the opposition party in the Senate, we must be equally clear about what we stand for and what we will fight against,” Barrasso wrote. “We need to draw sharp, principled contrast with the left-wing Majority. We need to do it in our message, the legislation we advance, the votes we demand, and our conversations at home.”
The effectiveness of Senate Republicans, Barrasso wrote, will depend on their ability to unite. “We will not agree on everything, but we remain united in our purpose,” he wrote. “When we stand together, we are stronger, our positions carry greater weight, and our ability to shape legislation and stop bad ideas is greater. A united Conference has a meaningful voice in the Senate with the strength to use it.”
Senate Republicans also voted to reelect South Dakota Sen. John Thune to lead their party. Some members, however, asked that leadership elections be delayed until Republicans could meet to reflect on their defeat in the midterms.
“Holding leadership elections without engaging in a robust discussion and evaluation of how those running for leadership intend to lead would be political malpractice,” Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson wrote in a Monday letter.
Johnson did not ultimately participate in Tuesday’s leadership election, he said in a post on X, “because a defeat of this magnitude demands serious reflection and change.”
“Holding a rush election ignores the message our voters sent,” Johnson said. “We must acknowledge where and why we failed and develop strategies to succeed.”
Barrasso, who campaigned with Trump ahead of the midterms and supported a slew of Republican Senate candidates, did not directly address the call for a delay in his letter or in his Tuesday remarks to the press. He said the GOP “will waste no time.”
“We’re going to make every second count. And that means all these judicial appointments. We’re going to do everything we can to get every single one of them confirmed,” Barrasso said. “Remember, these are lifetime appointments. We will leave no vacancy behind.”