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.

On Wednesday morning, shortly before a majority of GOP senators cast their votes for Thune, U.S. Senator Ted Cruz appeared to abandon fellow Texas U.S. Senator John Cornyn, announcing he would back U.S. Senator Rick Scott of Florida for the vaunted position.

John Cornyn is running to succeed Mitch McConnell after years waiting in his shadow. But the far-right, in Texas and Washington, are putting up a fight.