Sen. John Thune To Head Senate Republican Conference

U.S. Sen. John Thune was elected chairman of the Senate Republican Conference today. The South Dakota legislator will assume the position when Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee steps down in late January.

The conference chairmanship, the No. 3 leadership position for Senate Republicans, involves spearheading messages for the group.

“America is facing great challenges, but Senate Republicans have solutions and as chairman of the Republican Conference, I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues to communicate these solutions to the country,” Thune said. “We will aggressively communicate a Republican vision for putting Americans back to work and growing our economy, which stands in stark contrast to the Democrat vision of raising taxes and growing government.”

Thune's position as chairman of the Senate Republican Policy Committee will go to Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, who now is vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference.

The Senate Republican Conference helps senators communicate their priorities to the American people through a wide variety of communications resources, including television, radio, and Web technology, among other media.