The James Madison Option: Vice President JD Vance as Senate Majority Leader?

In the midst of preparing for President Trump to take up the reins of power, some questions are more important than others.  Near, if not at the very top, of that list is the question of who takes up the mantle of the Senate Majority Leader.

There are currently three Republicans vying for the position: John Cornyn (who is favored to win it, according to many), John Thune (who I despise no less than I do John Cornyn for their RINO-ESQUE track records), and Senator Rick Scott — who I generally consider the best pick of the bunch by a long shot, and if I’m reading the room right, so does President Trump and the majority of his supporters.

But leave it to the likes of Charlie Kirk, Senator Mike Lee, and Glenn Beck to throw a completely different possibility into the mix.  What if the Senate decided to go with the James Madison option?  Here’s a clip of Charlie Kirk explaining to Glenn Beck the idea that Senator Mike Lee is floating as an option for the next Senate Majority Leader.

Vice President @JDVance as Senate Majority Leader???@charliekirk11 tells me, “John Adams presided over the US Senate as Senate Majority Leader 200 years ago as Vice President of the United States. I think JD Vance should be President of the Senate and become Senate Majority… pic.twitter.com/Gwk7Z9C9vT

— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) November 8, 2024

According to a story in Newsweek, either John Thune, John Cornyn, or Rick Scott will likely become the next Senate Majority Leader.  The Newsweek story also mentioned Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, but while he holds a senior position among his constituents in many respects, he is not actively seeking the leadership of the Senate.

South Dakota’s John Thune, current Senate minority whip, is a potential front-runner for the GOP leadership position. The 63-year-old was first elected to office in 2005, and has defied Trump’s requests on multiple occasions.

Cornyn served as the GOP’s whip before Thune and is a close ally of Trump. In a statement on Wednesday, the Texas conservative said that Democrats had “broken the Senate, but I’m confident our new conservative majority can restore our institution to the essential role it serves in our constitutional republic.”

Florida U.S. Senator Rick Scott, a Trump-backed candidate who was elected for a second term this week, threw his name into the hat for the next Senate majority leader on Wednesday, telling Fox News, “I’m going to win.”

The alternative idea of having JD Vance serve as the Senate Majority Leader as floated by Mike Lee and Charlie Kirk — which instantly sounded like a great idea to Glenn Beck — definitely has a precedence in that of John Adams.

Vice President @JDVance as Senate Majority Leader???@charliekirk11 tells me, “John Adams presided over the US Senate as Senate Majority Leader 200 years ago as Vice President of the United States. I think JD Vance should be President of the Senate and become Senate Majority… pic.twitter.com/Gwk7Z9C9vT

— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) November 8, 2024

As Charlie Kirk pointed out during the conversation with Glenn Beck, John Adams presided over the Senate as Vice President of the United States.  Not to mention, according to Charlie Kirk, this was Mike Lee’s idea — a Constitutional lawyer almost without equal in my estimation… so my initial guess is this is a completely viable option.  And check out what I found from all the way back in July while researching for this story:

Who else wants Vice President JD Vance to go full John Adams as president of the Senate? pic.twitter.com/4lBOia6pvI

— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) July 16, 2024

Of course, nothing amazing like this ever happens — right?  (Except for 3 days ago, one of the biggest “things” we’ve ever seen happen in the political sphere…. HAPPENED.)  Could we be in for another “big thing” to happen as well?

Could JD Vance end up holding the position of Senate Majority Leader under the next Trump presidency, thereby ensuring that the Senators who attempt to thwart President Trump’s agenda from within the Capitol rotunda never see the inside of important Committee meetings?

My biggest worry is that Cornyn, who admittedly owns the record for most funds raised to fund the sweep of Republicans wins we just witnessed… is likely to win this thing, primarily for that reason.  According to a report today in The Blaze, Sen. Josh Hawley just came out as Cornyn’s first public endorsement for the leadership position.

Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri announced his support for Sen. John Cornyn of Texas on Friday in the race to replace Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell. At this point, this is the first public endorsement for Cornyn.

Cornyn is running to succeed McConnell alongside Republican Sens. Rick Scott of Florida and John Thune of South Dakota.

“I’m backing John Cornyn for majority leader,” Hawley said in a statement. “In the last two years, nobody has done more to win back the majority than he has.”

Ugh — how it pains me to read that endorsement from Josh Hawley!  I have never understood how the likes of John Cornyn has withstood the test of time, holding down his position for over 20 years as one of Texas’ Senators.  As a Texan… I don’t know a single person who supports him, which makes me very suspicious of what happens behind the scenes with all that money raising he’s involved with.  And that suspicion, coupled with the mistakes of allowing too many “snakes” into Trump’s previous administration, worries me — a lot.

Nevertheless, we’re set to find out who will be wielding the role of Senate Majority Leader on Wednesday, next week.  At least, that’s when the voting will begin.  In the meantime, I can’t help but hope that this outside-the-box idea of Mike Lee’s somehow sprouts legs, and becomes a legitimate option in the minds of the Senate.