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Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected South Dakota Senator John Thune as the next leader of the conference. 

Thune defeated Texas Senator John Cornyn by a vote of 29 to 24. Florida Senator Rick Scott, an outsider candidate favored by prominent Trump allies including Elon Musk, was eliminated on the first ballot. Thune, 63, is the current Senate Republican Whip. Cornyn, 72, had been the whip in the past.

Thune will be the first new head of the Republican conference in nearly two decades, taking over after Senate Minority Leader Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced earlier this year that he would step down from the post after 18 years. McConnell leaves the role as the longest-serving conference leader in Senate history.

Senate Republican leadership elections are “first past the post,” meaning the eventual leader must receive a majority of the votes. Scott received the least amount of votes on the first ballot and dropped from the race. Thune received a majority on the second ballot.

The new GOP leadership team will enter the Senate alongside Republican President Donald Trump in the White House and a Republican majority in the House. The Senate team will be primarily responsible for working with the White House to staff the incoming Trump administration and enact Republicans’ legislative priorities.