Senate Republicans reject delay, move forward with leadership vote

Senate Republicans voted 31-15 on Tuesday to proceed with their leadership election, rejecting a conservative push to delay it. The move came after last week's midterm losses, with Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin leading the effort to postpone. The closed-door conference vote effectively ended the delay attempt, as Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the expected next minority leader, questioned the benefit of waiting with no challenger stepping forward. Senior Republicans had predicted the effort would fail. The decision clears the way for Thune's likely election to lead the party in the minority next year, following the GOP's significant losses in the midterms.