John Barrasso Of Wyoming

Mitch McConnell Successor As Senate Minority Leader: Battle Of The “Three Johns”!

As Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican Minority Leader, returns next week after an extended period of absence due to a concussion and rib fracture after a fall, there is speculation that he might retire from the Senate in the short term.

So the battle for who would replace him has begun, with the “three Johns” competing for leadership of the Republican Party in the Senate moving forward.

These “three Johns” are

John Thune of South Dakota
John Barrasso of Wyoming
John Cornyn of Texas

John Thune has been in the Senate since 2005 and is 62, and is Republican Whip, second ranking position.

John Barrasso has been in the Senate since 2007 and is 71, and is Republican Conference Chairman, third ranking position.

John Cornyn has been in the Senate since 2002 and is also 71, and served in the past as Republican Whip.

If one went by population, which is not a factor, Texas and Cornyn would win with 30.3 million population, as South Dakota and Wyoming are among the five smallest states in population, with South Dakota 5th smallest with 900,000 population, and Wyoming the smallest of all states with 580,000 population.

An educated guess on the part of this blogger is that John Thune may have the upper hand, and the issue of age is not to be ignored, as he is a decade younger than the other two “Johns”, and is more “photogenic” and “charismatic” than they are.

Thune next faces voters in 2028; Cornyn in 2026; and Barrasso in 2024, so longevity is added to age as a factor.

But one never knows what will happen, and when it would happen, so we shall see!

The Three “Johns” Competing To Succeed Mitch McConnell As Senate Republican Leader In The Future

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky will soon set the record as the longest serving Senate Republican leader, as Minority Leader and Majority Leader.

He is in his 16th year of party leadership, since the beginning of 2007, and if he remains the leader into 2023, he will surpass Democrat Mike Mansfield, who served from 1961-1977 as party leader.

Even if McConnell continues as party leader into next year, there is speculation about who would be his successor, with three “Johns” seen as in competition.

They are Senator John Thune of South Dakota, who serves as Minority Whip, and was elected in 2004, and is facing reelection this fall, at age 61. He also served in the House of Representatives from 1997-2003.

The second contender is Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who served as Minority Whip in past Congresses, and was first elected in 2002, and is age 70. He was on the Texas Supreme Court and Attorney General of Texas before coming to the Senate.

The third contender is Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, who is a orthopedic physician, and has served in the Senate since 2007, and is also age 70. He also has served as Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, the third ranking position in leadership.