After losing his bid to the Senate leadership, Sen. John Cornyn says he plans to seek reelection in 2026 and to be a “warrior” in Congress.
Cornyn was hopeful to be the next senate majority leader, but lost his bid against Sen. John Thune of South Dakota. When reporters asked the Texas Senator what comes next for him, he said he wasn’t sure but he wanted to follow the example of former Sen. Phil Gramm.
“I think about somebody like Phil Gramm, who’s my predecessor, who, even though he wasn’t elected leadership, was always in the middle of some of the hardest issues that confronted the Congress and was a warrior,” Cornyn said, according to the Dallas Morning News. “And I think it’s a pretty good role model. But again, this just happened a few minutes ago, so I’ll figure it out.”
Cornyn long sought the position of the GOP senate leadership, and even served as the Senate majority whip for the 114th and 115th Congresses. He was close to Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, who has led the party in the upper chamber since 2007.
“I’m probably going to find other ways to spend a lot of my time,” Cornyn said.
Despite Cornyn’s closeness to McConnell, Thune, the current whip, won 29-24. The final results came after MAGA loyalists Sen. Rick Scott of Florida was eliminated in the first round of voting.
Some of the most MAGA loyalists in the Senate, including Texas junior Senator Ted Cruz have announced their support for Scott. Cruz quickly announced his support, just as he previously did when the Florida Sen challenged McConnell in 2022.
Scott was eliminated after receiving 13 votes in the first round. Cornyn received 15 and Thune 23.
Thune said he’ll work to deliver on Donald Trump’s agenda, including securing the border, cutting regulations and restoring American energy dominance.
“It’s a new day in the United States Senate, and it’s a new day in America,” he said.
Trump expressed he looked forward to working with Thune.
“He moves quickly, and will do an outstanding job,” Trump said.
