Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) earned the Senate GOP conference chair position Wednesday, defeating Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) for the coveted spot.
Cotton defeated the Iowa Republican in what was the only contested race for a GOP leadership position that was not to become the new leader of the conference.
He will replace Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), who will take over as whip, the No. 2 position in the conference, for the term-limited Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.).
The Arkansas Republican, widely considered to be a strong communicator on television, will now assume the role as the chief messenger for the Senate GOP.
In the process, the newly minted conference chair pushed Ernst out of the elected six-member leadership team.
She previously served as chair of the Senate GOP Policy Committee, a spot she held for two years after former Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) retired and vacated his spot in leadership.
