Sen. John Thune has won an internal election among Republican senators to become the chamber’s next majority leader

Before the Senate, Thune represented in the House, worked as the executive director of the South Dakota Republican Party and served in the Small Business Administration under President Ronald Reagan.

Republican senators chose South Dakota Sen. John Thune as their new leader in a closed-door vote on Wednesday. He will take over longtime Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s place in January.