McConnell’s Senate money machine makes the transition to Thune as a new era begins
Senate Republicans’ top outside group and financier, the Senate Leadership Fund (SLF), has been armed with allies of Senate Minority Whip John Thune, RS.D., as he prepares to take the GOP’s top role in 2025.
The SLF was formed by supporters of outgoing Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and quickly became a major resource for the Senate GOP and candidates in key races across the country.
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Mitch McConnell’s fundraising machine is changing hands with allies of John Thune. (Reuters)
Former Colorado Sen. Cory Garder will chair the SLF board, a familiar source confirmed to Fox News Digital, and is expected to be involved in finding a successor to SLF President and CEO Steven Law, who announced after the Senate race that he was stepping down. instead, succeeding McConnell.
The leaders of the political organization outside of Thune, Johnny DeStefano and Paula Dukes, are also expected to participate in this investigation.
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Sen. Cory Gardner (Reuters)
“Cory understands the complexities of midterm elections and modern campaigns, and he knows firsthand the importance of working hand-in-hand with President Trump and his team to win over Democrats,” DeStefano said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.
This will be the first time since the establishment of this party during McConnell’s time as leader that it will see new leadership and possibly work in a different way, with a new Republican ruling the Senate.
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Sen. Mitch McConnell (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
McConnell and his allies have been credited with building a large network of donors and lobbying for important resources for Senate Republicans over the years. Although Thune has been able to build impressive revenue this cycle, it is not clear whether he will be able to sustain it while serving as a leader.
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Thune was “unwavering” about supporting Trump’s agenda as leader, another senator said. (Reuters)
McConnell’s allies, the SLF and its sister group One Nation, have raised $2.3 billion over the past decade. The parties pulled in $400 million during the 2022 Senate cycle and $420 million in the latest 2024 cycle.
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It will be up to Thune’s political career to sustain this cash flow or learn to navigate GOP races with limited resources if achieving McConnell-level fundraising becomes more difficult.
