Sen. John Thune has won an internal election among Republican senators to become the chamber’s next majority leader

Wednesday, South Dakota Senator John Thune was elected by Senate Republicans as the GOP Majority Leader. According to CNN, Thune beat out Texas Senator John Cornyn in the second round of voting 29 to 24. His election comes after longtime leader Mitch McConnell stepped down as GOP leader back in February.

Before the Senate, Thune represented in the House, worked as the executive director of the South Dakota Republican Party and served in the Small Business Administration under President Ronald Reagan.