For the first time in 18 years, Senate Republicans will soon elect a conference leader who isn’t named Mitch McConnell. Three men are vying to succeed McConnell: Senate Minority Whip John Thune and Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.).
We’ve reported extensively on the race, including on fundraising and policy goals.
In this edition of The Tally, we delve into another critical aspect: The longtime operatives working to help their bosses reach the highest rung of the Senate ladder.
Each contender has a team of dozens of advisers. Some are Hill staffers while others work for their campaigns. Many are as close as family and have been with the senators since the beginning of their political careers.
Most importantly, they’re longtime confidants who could be helping run the Senate next year. Should their candidate win, they’d have a massive impact on policy and the politics of the GOP Conference, especially if Republicans retake the majority.
Thune:
The South Dakota Republican has one of the lowest staff turnover rates in Congress. Many aides in his Senate office have been with him since his House tenure. And as a member of the GOP leadership team, Thune has a larger staff than rank-and-file senators.
Geoff Antell leads Thune’s whip office. Ryan Nelson is chief of staff in Thune’s personal office and has been with him since 2005.
Thune’s deputy chief, Jessica McBride, has been with him since 2009. Rounding out the senior leadership team is Ryan Wrasse, Thune’s communications director for over a decade.
Off Capitol Hill, GOP operatives Johnny DeStefano and Paula Dukes are running a Thune-linked non-profit that can raise unlimited sums of cash. DeStefano is a Trump White House alum who also worked for former Speaker John Boehner. Dukes is a longtime GOP fundraiser.
As of this writing, Thune’s total fundraising for the 2024 cycle has surpassed $29 million.
Cornyn:
Cornyn served as GOP whip under McConnell for six years. Drew Brandewie is Cornyn’s chief of staff and has been with him for over a decade.
Those closest to Cornyn on the outside include Monica Popp, his former chief in the whip office, and Rob Jesmer, who was executive director of the NRSC when Cornyn was chair.
Beth Jafari, another former chief of staff, is also a close confidant. Jafari is currently an executive at Hilton.
The Texas Republican has long been a prolific fundraiser for the GOP. He was NRSC chair for the 2010 and 2012 cycles.
His fundraising total for this cycle has topped $26 million. Cornyn recently told donors that his cumulative fundraising since 2002 is over $400 million.
After the 2020 cycle, Cornyn set up a joint fundraising committee that has raised impressive sums. Cornyn has three fundraising teams — for Texas, Washington and for the rest of the country.
Scott:
Scott has a contingent of loyal staffers who have followed him from the governor’s mansion in Florida to the Senate. Some have worked for his campaigns or alongside him during his tenure as NRSC chair for the 2022 cycle.
Scott is considered a long-shot candidate in the race to succeed McConnell. Still, he has an impressive political operation. Scott is up for reelection this year, so he’s not doing as much national fundraising. He’s also independently wealthy and can bankroll his campaigns.
Scott’s reelection campaign is managed by Jackie Zeckman, who’s been with him since he was first elected as Florida governor in 2010.
Craig Carbone, chief of staff in Scott’s Senate office, has been with him for a decade. Chris Hartline, currently a senior adviser to Scott’s reelection campaign, has also been with him for over a decade. Hartline ran communications for Scott’s first Senate bid, his Senate office and the NRSC. McKinley Lewis is Scott’s current communications director.
