Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin is circulating a letter asking colleagues to postpone next week’s Senate Republican leadership elections after Tuesday’s losses.
Johnson said at least five senators have signed on and framed the request as non-hostile to Leader John Thune, arguing the conference needs more time.
Unresolved Senate contests in Mississippi and Alaska hang over the math, complicating any claim about the size of the incoming minority.
Some Republicans want a fuller autopsy of candidate strategy and Trump’s role before locking in leaders for a long stretch in the minority.
Thune allies countered that delay looks like chaos to donors and that the conference needs stability before Democrats organize.
Trump has praised Thune personally while separately blaming the Senate for failing to pass his priorities — mixed signals that fuel the delay push.
Leadership contests also determine messaging against Democratic investigations expected to ramp up once gavels change hands.
Whether Johnson’s letter succeeds will be an early test of how fractured the post-midterm GOP conference really is.
