GOP Leadership Elections Delayed

Ron Johnson leads push to delay Senate GOP leadership elections after midterm losses

Senate Republicans led by Sen. Ron Johnson are pressing to delay GOP leadership elections until the conference confronts last week's losses and sets a plan to counter emboldened Democrats.

Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin sent a letter to conference chair Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas calling for a pause on the votes set for today, Tuesday morning. Fox News Digital obtained the letter, which secured the five signatures Senate GOP rules require to force consideration of a delay.

Democrats flipped the chamber and clinched 54 seats, with the final number still able to grow depending on outcomes in Mississippi and Alaska. Johnson and a small group of colleagues say rushing straight into leadership elections would skip the hard look the losses demand.

Johnson wrote that the conference must hear from candidates on a more collaborative governing model and on strategy before anyone is locked into the top jobs.

Five senators signed on, and others want the same pause--

Signing with Johnson were Sens. Rick Scott of Florida, John Kennedy of Louisiana, Ted Budd of North Carolina, and Mike Lee of Utah. Sens. David McCormick of Pennsylvania and Jim Banks of Indiana did not sign but have also called for the conference to take a beat before casting leadership votes.

Lee put the case plainly on X.

"We first need to digest what happened last week and make plans to move forward. Turning to leadership elections Tuesday morning would put the cart before the horse."

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