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.

Senate Republicans have selected a new Senate majority leader to succeed Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader.

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.