Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) announced Wednesday that he will be running to become the Senate Republican Conference vice chairman.
The Oklahoma senator, who has served in the upper chamber since 2015, became the face of the failed compromise border security bill that was rejected by members of his own party after former President Donald Trump tanked the deal.
Lankford is running for the No. 5 position after the current vice chairwoman, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) announced she is running for the Republican Policy Committee chairmanship, which is the No. 4 spot in the Senate GOP hierarchy.
“The Senate Republican Conference Vice Chair plays a vital role in serving Republican Senators and their staff as they communicate the conservative policy ideas that make our nation stronger,” Lankford said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. “As Senators, we were elected to do hard things and to solve problems by doing the right thing, the right way. It is my desire to serve our Conference in every way I can as we work together to solve the challenges our nation faces.”
The Senate Republican Conference Vice Chair plays a vital role in serving Republican Senators and their staff as they communicate the conservative policy ideas that make our nation stronger.
— Sen. James Lankford (@SenatorLankford) March 20, 2024
“I will personally ask each of my colleagues for their support in the days ahead and look forward to discussing with them ways we can work together to serve the nation,” he added.
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Lankford is the only member of the Senate Republican Conference who has announced a run for the position. It comes after he worked alongside Sens. Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ) on a bipartisan border deal that ultimately fell apart in the upper chamber. The senators worked for months to hammer out an agreement with the White House that would tighten asylum standards and give the president a new expulsion authority.
Lankford’s announcement means that all leadership positions now have candidates. Sens. John Thune (R-SD) and John Cornyn (R-TX) announced their intentions to run to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as the Senate Republican leader. Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) is running to become Republican whip, and Sens. Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) are vying for the conference chairperson position.