Senate Republicans spent hours discussing how to use their remaining time in power and whether to stick with the leadership team they had chosen as Washington enters a new political phase.
Some of the party’s private meetings over the past two years have grown heated. Policy discussions have occasionally turned into shouting matches, including a clash earlier this year between President Donald Trump and Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana over the Iran war.
This meeting, the first since Democrats regained control of the Senate, had a different purpose. Republicans wanted to map out their approach for the final weeks of the year. They reached agreement on a plan, though a dispute later emerged over who deserved credit for the party’s 54-day legislative push.
The gathering also put Senate Minority Leader John Thune of South Dakota to the test. Republicans considered whether to keep him in the role or postpone their leadership vote until a possible challenger emerged. But those seeking a delay conceded that finding someone willing to take the job could be difficult.
“I got the job because nobody else wants it,” Thune said after the meeting.
He was re-elected by acclamation, along with most of the leadership team chosen when Republicans took the majority two years ago. No senator objected to the slate.
Some lawmakers likened the discussion to “Festivus,” the fictional holiday from “Seinfeld” known for airing grievances. Others described it as a candid and necessary review after the party’s disappointing election results.
Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina said he had expected stronger emotions given the scale of the defeat, but saw the discussion as a sign that Republicans understood they had a problem to address. There was no silver lining, he said; the party would have to respond to the outcome.
At times, the exchange became tense, particularly between Thune and Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who had led the effort to delay the leadership vote. Thune said he wanted to defend the party’s record and ask critics what they would have done differently, both politically and legislatively.
He described the conversation as robust and candid, adding that the back-and-forth sometimes grew testy but gave senators a chance to speak.
Johnson said he tends to interrupt and acknowledged Thune was probably unhappy about it, but said there was no personal animosity between them. He argued that political disagreements are often presented as all-or-nothing fights, which can energize a party’s base but are not helpful.
Johnson said he had not wanted to push for a delay, but felt it was necessary. In the end, he thought the discussion had been useful and showed that Republicans were fortunate to have anyone willing to take on the leadership jobs.
Sen. Steve Daines of Montana said Thune showed strong leadership during the meeting. He said Thune reminded senators that election results have shifted back and forth over the years, pointing to Republican losses in 1986 and Democratic losses in 2014. Daines said the party’s expected losses were within that broader historical pattern.
Thune also laid out what he believed Republicans needed to do next to bring the party together and eventually win back the Senate majority.
