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WASHINGTON (AP) — Texas Sen. John Cornyn has informed his colleagues that he intends to run for Senate Republican leader, becoming the first senator to announce a campaign after Sen. Mitch McConnell said he will step down from the post in November.
Cornyn, who served as McConnell’s No. 2 in leadership before he was term-limited out of the job five years ago, is citing his experience in that role in a statement Thursday to fellow senators announcing his run. But he also is trying to distinguish himself from McConnell, saying, "I believe the Senate is broken -- that is not news to anyone.”
“From experience, I have learned what works in the Senate and what does not," Cornyn said. “And I am confident Senate Republicans can restore our institution to the essential role it serves in our constitutional republic.”
There has long been speculation that Cornyn, South Dakota Sen. John Thune and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso -– the “three Johns” -– would vie to replace McConnell, R-Ky., if and when McConnell were to step down. But the longtime leader’s surprise announcement on Wednesday that he won’t run again for Republican leader after the November elections has jump-started the campaign earlier than expected, almost nine months before GOP senators are expected to gather and choose a new leader behind closed doors.
Cornyn, a former Texas attorney general who was first elected to the Senate in 2002, is a prominent member of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a popular member of the GOP conference who is seen as a steady hand. He has managed to bridge some of the caucus’ deep divides in recent years while also occasionally negotiating with Democrats, as he did on bipartisan gun legislation in 2022.
He is also a prolific fundraiser for the party, having raised a total of $13 million for incumbents, the party’s Senate campaign arm, and Senate Republican nominees already in the 2024 cycle.