Thune, who is 63 and in his fourth Senate term, has promised to work closely with President-elect Donald Trump despite differences between the two over the years.

Thune beat out two other competitors, Sens. John Cornyn and Rick Scott, by gaining majority support from GOP senators in a secret ballot vote.

Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) has been elected as the new leader of Senate Republicans, succeeding Mitch McConnell, who held the position for 18 years, according to sources present at the closed-door vote.