The decision by Senate Minority Whip John Thune to run for reelection sets up an intricate shuffle among a trio of Republicans named John to succeed McConnell. There’s Thune the South Dakotan, McConnell’s current deputy, as well as former whip John Cornyn of Texas, the two favorites to succeed the GOP leader. Then there’s John Barrasso, the No. 3 Senate GOP leader whom Republicans believe is likely to ascend to the whip job first as Cornyn and Thune compete to succeed McConnell…

As whip, Thune has the clearest path to the job in the eyes of some Republicans until he is term-limited out of his job in 2025. The 61-year-old once mulled running for president but has committed himself to the Senate after passing on national ambitions.

But Cornyn, 69, brings his own formidable resume: He ran the National Republican Senatorial Committee for two cycles, served as whip for six years and is still a McConnell confidante at the leader’s table of advisers. Where Thune can be low-key, Cornyn brings a more pugnacious style that leads some other Republicans to see him as a natural successor to McConnell.