Senate Republicans reelected John Thune as their leader Tuesday, choosing continuity as they prepare to surrender their majority following a bruising midterm election.

Thune and the rest of the GOP leadership team were chosen by acclamation during a closed-door conference meeting. The vote came after Republicans rejected an effort by some conservatives to postpone the elections, voting 31-15 to proceed.

The South Dakota senator faced no challenger for the minority leader post and was not widely seen as vulnerable, despite frustration within the party over its election losses. Democrats have captured at least seven Republican-held Senate seats, and Republicans trail in two races that remain uncalled.

Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, who supported delaying the leadership vote, called the results “the worst set of losses since Watergate” and said they represented “an incredible repudiation of the focus of this Congress.”

Hawley and other conservatives argued that Republicans had not delivered enough during the past two years and needed more time to assess the party’s direction. Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, another supporter of a delay, said Thune gave colleagues a “heartfelt speech” and had been “very unfairly attacked” by the party’s base.

“This has never been anything against John Thune,” Johnson said.

After the vote, Thune said Republicans remained committed to advancing conservative priorities, working with President Donald Trump and House Republicans, and opposing Democrats’ agenda. He said he was honored to retain his colleagues’ trust in the 120th Congress.

Some conservatives had hoped Trump would call for Thune’s removal after a loss of the majority, but the president repeatedly said he would stay out of the leadership contest. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, who had twice sought the party’s Senate leadership, did not run this time.

Thune’s immediate challenges include avoiding a mid-December government shutdown, potentially addressing an impeachment of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, and advancing a defense policy package and farm bill before the majority changes hands in January.

Looking further ahead, he will have to navigate the final two years of Trump’s administration while preparing for the 2028 Senate elections, when the map is more favorable to Democrats.