Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., chair of the Senate GOP Conference, announced this week he has secured enough votes to become the next Republican whip, The Hill reported.
There was speculation Barrasso would seek to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who will step down in November. But he said Wednesday that enough members of the conference will support his bid to become the whip.
"They've seen the job that I've done as chairman of the policy committee, they've seen the job that I've done now for the last six years as the chairman of the conference in terms of making sure the information they got was credible, reliable, accurate, timely, things that they could use to be successful at home and successful in D.C.," he told reporters.
"Overwhelmingly, I've gotten the support of every member."
Sen. John Thune of South Dakota is the Republican whip but is seeking to replace McConnell as the GOP leader. He previously served as the Senate GOP conference chair from 2012 to 2019.
Barrasso's statement came after he wrote a letter to his colleagues asking for their support.
"We need change. We need to stand up and fight aggressively for our Republican priorities," Barrasso wrote Tuesday in the letter, which was obtained by NBC News. "If elected to serve as your Whip, I will look for greater openness about our process and transparency about your choices. We must put consensus within our Conference ahead of deal-making among a few. Additionally, I will continue to push our Leadership team and Conference to align our priorities with the priorities of our voters."