U.S. Sen. Katie Britt (R-Montgomery) announced Wednesday that she cast her initial vote for U.S. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) as the next Senate majority leader.
After a week of speculation over who Britt would vote for in the secret ballot election, the senator announced her initial first vote was for Scott. The initial vote led to a runoff between U.S. Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and John Thune (R-S.D.). Britt said in her statement that she was calling on the Senate to back Thune in the runoff. Thune eventually won the seat, leading to mass speculation on who voted for whom in the initial vote.
Britt received hefty social media backlash for her silence leading up to the vote, especially with U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn) backing Scott early in the discussion. However, after the final vote, Britt announced that she had cast her first vote for Scott, and was now calling on her colleagues to back Thune as the new leader.
“I cast my vote for Senator Rick Scott on the first ballot,” Britt said. “Throughout this process, I proudly kept my promise to put Alabama’s values, people, and priorities first. Now, it’s time to rally behind Senator Thune, come together as unified Senate Republicans, and hit the ground running to advance President Trump’s agenda and deliver real results for the American people.”
I have tremendous respect for my three colleagues who ran to serve as the next Senate Republican Leader. Heading into Senator Mike Lee’s forum on Tuesday evening, I reiterated I was looking for a leader who’d significantly overhaul how the Senate has been operating and make it… pic.twitter.com/jkfA3toe2e
— Senator Katie Boyd Britt (@SenKatieBritt) November 13, 2024
Jake Sherman with Punchbowl News claimed the initial vote had Thune with 23 votes, Cornyn with 15, and Scott at the bottom with 13, for a total of 51 votes cast.
Vote total was:
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) November 13, 2024
THUNE: 23
CORNYN: 15
SCOTT: 13
Thune was four short of winning on the first ballot, per @AndrewDesiderio
We'll see where the Scott votes go this time around.
According to Politico, the runoff ended with Thune earning 29 votes and Cornyn with 24, accounting for all 53 Senate Republicans. The disparity between the two votes also fed speculation that Britt and others may have been fibbing about their support for Scott.
Britt communications director Sean Ross told 1819 News that some Senate members chose to abstain from the initial vote, which explains the disparity between the two votes. He also categorically denied that Britt was dishonest in her claim of initial support for Scott.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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