US Senate Republicans on Wednesday selected Senator John Thune as majority leader when they regain control of the chamber next year.

In a secret ballot, the South Dakota senator defeated Senators John Cornyn and Rick Scott to take over the Republican leadership mantle that Mitch McConnell has held for the past eighteen years.

Thune, 63, was elected to the Senate in 2004 and currently holds the No. 2 spot in the Republican leadership as minority whip. He is seen as a more mainstream choice than Scott, a hardline conservative and close ally of newly elected President Donald Trump.

Thune received 23 votes, compared to Cornyn’s 15 and Scott’s 13. He will serve as Senate majority leader for at least the next two years.

Republicans will gain at least 52 seats in the 100-member U.S. Senate. Votes in Pennsylvania’s Senate race are still being counted.

Trump has floated the idea of ​​bypassing the normal hearing process for Cabinet members, which is a major departure from the normal process.

Trump on Wednesday endorsed House Speaker Mike Johnson and said he should serve as leader in the 119th Congress. With vote counting still underway in some states, Republicans have a slim majority over Democrats in the US House of Representatives.