Cornyn has for years signaled he wanted to succeed his close ally GOP leader Mitch McConnell. He lost in a vote decided by the Republican members of the Senate.

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn of Texas said he will still seek reelection in 2026 after falling a few votes short Wednesday in his bid to become the next Senate majority leader. Asked about what comes next for him in the Senate,

Cornyn, who was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2002, has long sought to be Senate Majority Leader, the first from Texas since Lyndon B. Johnson.