Senate Republicans reject push to delay leadership election vote

Most of the conference rejected a bid by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) on Tuesday to reschedule internal elections, held to choose their entire slate of leaders for the next Congress.Johnson, backed initially by six other colleagues, had been arguing that more time was needed to debate what caused last week’s midterm blue wave, but the effort attracted only modest support given that no one had come forward to challenge Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) or any of his deputies. Johnson walked out of the conference meeting, as the Washington Examiner previewed on Monday, after Senate Republicans rejected that push.The vote Senate Republicans ultimately considered was a motion to proceed brought by Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), according to Johnson. That motion passed 31-15.RON JOHNSON PLANS LEADERSHIP ELECTION WALKOUT IN PROTEST OF QUICK VOTE: ‘I’LL LEAVE THE ROOM’The vote, conducted in a closed-door conference meeting, clears the way for Thune to be chosen as GOP leader for a second term, this time in the Senate minority.Republicans lost as many as nine seats in the midterm elections, an outcome widely blamed on the war in Iran and its impact on gas and diesel prices.This story is breaking. Please check back for updates.