Sen. John Thune of South Dakota is set to lead the Senate as majority leader in the new Congress, after Republicans flipped the chamber in the 2024 elections.

The mild-mannered South Dakotan and top McConnell ally recently made efforts to patch up his relationship with President-elect Donald Trump.

Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected John Thune to be the next Republican leader to succeed Mitch McConnell in a position he's held for 17 years. In doing so, they decided against choosing Trump ally Sen.