Fla., was knocked out of the Senate leader race after the first secret ballot on Wednesday morning, during which none of the three candidates received a majority of the votes.Senate Minority Whip John Thune was ultimately elected as the new Republican Senate leader and the majority leader of the upper chamber in the new Congress after winning a second secret ballot.

The Florida senator Rick Scott is the front-runner to become the new Senate majority leader, with several Republican senators backing him.