The Capitol nameplate for the Senate Republican leader has changed after nearly 20 years.

Sen. Mitch McConnell’s Republican leader nameplate has been replaced with incoming Majority Leader John Thune’s nameplate.

The nameplate is located near the leader’s complex next to the Senate floor.

Take a look:

Per Politico:

The Capitol nameplate for the Senate Republican leader, a position held by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for decades, has been swapped out for incoming Majority Leader John Thune in the leader’s complex near the Senate floor.

The switch comes as the outgoing majority Democratic Senate majority will hold one final pro forma session at 11:45 a.m., during which they’ll gavel out the current Congress and make way for the new GOP-led one.

Per The New York Times:

John Thune won election to the Senate in 2004 by conquering Senator Tom Daschle, the powerful Democratic majority leader, only to quickly face a mortal threat to his political future when a major Air Force base in his state was threatened with closure.

He beat back the effort and saved Ellsworth Air Force Base, a financial engine in his largely rural state, keeping his job and learning valuable lessons that have helped power his rise in the Senate.

Now the South Dakota Republican has ascended to the top and will become majority leader in the new Congress that convenes on Friday, but he is again facing an early challenge and a major threat to his political standing.



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