Who will replace Mitch McConnell as GOP leader remains deeply uncertain.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans are racing to replace longtime leader Mitch McConnell crisscrossed the country to campaign and raise funds for colleagues, making their final arguments before another vote a week after the presidential election. But their appearances have largely taken place behind closed doors, and most GOP senators have not yet said which lawmaker they support.

South Dakota John ThuneMcConnell’s current No. 2, and John Cornyn Texas, who held the post before Thune, is the favorite in the Nov. 13 secret ballot to replace McConnell. Senator from Kentucky leaving the post in January after nearly two decades as leader. The winner could determine the party’s direction for years to come and could become the next Senate majority leader if Republicans win enough seats in Tuesday’s elections.

The result is still unclear.

Only a few Republican senators publicly supported the candidate. Many say they haven’t decided yet. The third senator in the race is the senator from Florida. Rick Scottwho does his own thing re-election bid – can act as a spoiler. Another candidate can still join.

In many ways, the “two Johns” are remarkably similar, making it difficult to choose their counterparts. Both are widely popular and, like McConnell, lean toward the more traditional wing of the Republican Party. But both also suggested they would try to move on from the McConnell era with a more open approach.

“I’m trying to find differences because they’re both great guys,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., who has worked closely with both of them.

The two men are also trying to distinguish themselves from McConnell by making clear they support Donald Trump in this year’s presidential election. Like McConnellThey have both clashed with Trump in the past, especially after the events of January 6, 2021. attack on the Capitol. But both Thune and Cornyn have spoken frequently with Trump in recent months, attending campaign events and visiting his home in Florida.

Whether Trump wins and whether he backs one of the contenders could be the determining factor.

“I don’t know what he’ll do,” Cornyn said of Trump in September. “But this is obviously an election between senators, and I think that’s where the voters are.”

Some of the former president’s strongest allies in the Senate are urging him to stay out of the fight. Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin, who supports Thune, says he tried to dissuade Trump from supporting him. Trump understands “the need to work with whoever the next leader is,” Mullin said.

Tillis suggested Trump’s support could backfire.

“You have to be careful with the psychology of the Senate,” Tillis said. “We know each other very well and spend hours and hours together. It’s a pretty small club.”

Still, both Cornyn and Thune remain close to Trump. Cornyn met Trump during a trip to Texas in October and appeared at a rally in Nevada. In August, Thune attended an event with Trump’s running mate, Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance.

Thune, who said after the Jan. 6 attack that Trump’s attempts to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power were “inexcusable,” told the Associated Press in the summer, he considers their potential relationship to be professional. If they both win the election, Thune said, “we’ll have to work.”

Scott, meanwhile, is a longtime friend of Trump and has positioned himself as a strong ally. Scott went to New York support Trump during Trump’s presidency hush money lawsuit. Trump could back Scott in the fight, potentially gaining more votes for the Florida senator or giving him leverage in the race.

In addition to private meetings, Thune and Cornyn flew around the country to raise funds and campaign for their fellow senators.

Thune has made more than two dozen campaign stops for GOP Senate candidates, and aides say he has raised more than $31 million for Senate campaigns this election cycle, including funneling $4 million to Republican Senate campaigns.

Cornyn similarly sought out candidates and poured money into elections in Texas. His aides highlight his long history of fundraising for Republicans — more than $400 million during his 22 years in the Senate, his office says.

In politics, the two men are similar: they vote generally in accordance with the course of the conference, but sometimes cooperate with the Democrats. Cornyn is a longtime member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which passed leading role in bipartisan gun legislation two years ago. Thune served opposite as the former chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

It is unclear whether either of them will be able to win the support of the growing minority of Republican senators who have battled McConnell in recent years as he championed aid to Ukraine and criticized Trump. Many of this group voted for Scott when he challenged McConnell after the 2022 election.

As a potential proposal to the group, Cornyn called for a conference vote on term limits for the Republican leader. “I believe the Senate needs more participation from my colleagues, including the opportunity for any member to serve in leadership positions,” Cornyn wrote on X in March.

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley, a member of the more conservative caucus, said he has not made any commitments in the race but wants to know how they would advance legislation and work with Trump if he becomes president. “I think some of this will come into focus after the election when we know what we’re dealing with and what our caucus is going to be like,” Hawley said.

Many in the group, including Scott and Utah Sen. Mike Lee, are pushing to take power away from leadership and give power to individual senators. Lee has made a number of demands for candidates, but neither Cornyn nor Thune have so far shown interest in negotiations.

But they both made it clear that they were listening to complaints.

Thune indicated in an interview with the AP that he is willing to make changes to the leadership role, but warned that he would not leave the position to the mercy of rank-and-file senators. He said he wants to “empower our individual members or committees to do things on a regular basis” and open up the amendment process, but “I’m not going to make wholesale changes that weaken the leadership to the point where it’s just a freebie.” . -All.”

Tillis suggested in September that it would be a deal breaker for him if any of the candidates were involved in the deal.

“If you are willing to weaken your position to satisfy a few voices, then in my opinion you are unfit to be a leader,” Tillis said. “And I think that’s what most people think.”

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Associated Press writer Stephen Groves contributed to this report.