Senate Republicans Elect Thune, Barrasso and Blunt to Top Posts
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U.S. Senate Republicans elected John Thune of South Dakota to become the third-ranking leader in a revision of their top team prompted by Senator Lamar Alexander’s decision to step aside.
Thune, a second-term senator, ran unopposed to replace Alexander of Tennessee as head of the Senate Republican Conference, in charge of helping shape the party’s message. Alexander, who announced the results in an e-mail, said in September he would give up the position to focus on his 2014 re-election and offer a more independent voice on deficit reduction and other debates.