Thune announces bid to succeed McConnell, setting up fight for Senate GOP leader

Senate GOP Whip John Thune announced Monday that he is running for Republican leader, setting up a contested battle in the first major shakeup at the top of the Senate GOP hierarchy in nearly two decades. Thune, speaking to Keloland News in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, said that he wants to succeed Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has held the post since 2007 and announced last week that he would step aside at the end of the year from his perch atop the conference. “I hope to be,” Thune...