By Sean Mussenden
Media General News Service
Media General News Service
Sen. Richard Burr said he was not necessarily expecting to win heading into Thursday’s leadership vote.
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By Winston-Salem Journal File Photo
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WASHINGTON -- Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., said Thursday that his failure to win a spot on the GOP leadership team in the Senate was disappointing, but not entirely surprising.
As a freshman member of a body that takes seniority seriously, the North Carolina Republican said he was not necessarily expecting to win heading into Thursday’s leadership vote.
Republican senators bypassed Burr to pick Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., to head the Republican Conference, the number three GOP position in the Senate.
Historically, few freshman senators have run for — or won — senior leadership positions in the Senate. But the unusual contest between Alexander and Burr featured two senators in their first terms.
Alexander, a former education secretary and Tennessee governor, joined the Senate in 2003, two years before Burr. As a former presidential candidate, Alexander has a larger national profile than Burr, who jumped to the Senate in 2005 after a decade in the House.
"Sen. Alexander is the more senior member," Burr said in an interview after the vote, noting that by ‘senior’ he meant both tenure in office and age. Alexander is 67. Burr, one of the Senate’s younger members, turned 52 last month.
A Burr victory would have put a younger face on the Republican leadership, said Ferrel Guillory, an expert on southern politics at the University of North Carolina.
"I suspect (Burr) lost because Alexander … had built up stronger, longer-standing relationships with senators," Guillory said.
The result is unlikely to hurt Burr politically, Guillory said, adding that he still has the potential to become a leader in the party, Guillory said.
Alexander defeated Burr 31 to 16. There are 49 Republican senators. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., who is set to retire at the end of the year, did not vote. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who is running for president and was busy campaigning Thursday, did not vote either.
After going through a list of his supporters and undecided senators on Wednesday night, Burr said he expected the vote to be closer than the two to one defeat he suffered.
He figured that if the senators who had pledged support stayed true, and he and Alexander split undecided senators evenly, he would have 24 votes, enough to eke out a victory.
But leadership elections use a secret ballot and take place behind closed doors, making them notoriously difficult to handicap.
"Clearly the undecided’s broke against us, and we lost some supporters we had last night," Burr said Thursday.
Fellow North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole was among the Republicans supporting Burr. "I was very proud to support my home state colleague and good friend Richard Burr," she said in a statement. "Senate Republicans were fortunate to have two respected and capable individuals throw their hats in the ring for this position." .
The position opened up after Lott, the minority whip and number two GOP leader, stunned Capitol Hill with his retirement announcement last week. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., who held the Republican Conference chairmanship, moved into Lott’s spot unopposed on Thursday, leaving his old position open for Alexander to step into.
As Republican Conference chairman, Alexander will help craft the party’s message and serve as a key spokesman.
In a statement he said he would, "work to solidify our party’s base while attracting more independents."
.
Sean Mussenden can be reached at 202-662-7668 or .
Journal reporter James Romoser contributed to this report.
As a freshman member of a body that takes seniority seriously, the North Carolina Republican said he was not necessarily expecting to win heading into Thursday’s leadership vote.
Republican senators bypassed Burr to pick Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., to head the Republican Conference, the number three GOP position in the Senate.
Historically, few freshman senators have run for — or won — senior leadership positions in the Senate. But the unusual contest between Alexander and Burr featured two senators in their first terms.
Alexander, a former education secretary and Tennessee governor, joined the Senate in 2003, two years before Burr. As a former presidential candidate, Alexander has a larger national profile than Burr, who jumped to the Senate in 2005 after a decade in the House.
"Sen. Alexander is the more senior member," Burr said in an interview after the vote, noting that by ‘senior’ he meant both tenure in office and age. Alexander is 67. Burr, one of the Senate’s younger members, turned 52 last month.
A Burr victory would have put a younger face on the Republican leadership, said Ferrel Guillory, an expert on southern politics at the University of North Carolina.
"I suspect (Burr) lost because Alexander … had built up stronger, longer-standing relationships with senators," Guillory said.
The result is unlikely to hurt Burr politically, Guillory said, adding that he still has the potential to become a leader in the party, Guillory said.
Alexander defeated Burr 31 to 16. There are 49 Republican senators. Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., who is set to retire at the end of the year, did not vote. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., who is running for president and was busy campaigning Thursday, did not vote either.
After going through a list of his supporters and undecided senators on Wednesday night, Burr said he expected the vote to be closer than the two to one defeat he suffered.
He figured that if the senators who had pledged support stayed true, and he and Alexander split undecided senators evenly, he would have 24 votes, enough to eke out a victory.
But leadership elections use a secret ballot and take place behind closed doors, making them notoriously difficult to handicap.
"Clearly the undecided’s broke against us, and we lost some supporters we had last night," Burr said Thursday.
Fellow North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole was among the Republicans supporting Burr. "I was very proud to support my home state colleague and good friend Richard Burr," she said in a statement. "Senate Republicans were fortunate to have two respected and capable individuals throw their hats in the ring for this position." .
The position opened up after Lott, the minority whip and number two GOP leader, stunned Capitol Hill with his retirement announcement last week. Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., who held the Republican Conference chairmanship, moved into Lott’s spot unopposed on Thursday, leaving his old position open for Alexander to step into.
As Republican Conference chairman, Alexander will help craft the party’s message and serve as a key spokesman.
In a statement he said he would, "work to solidify our party’s base while attracting more independents."
.
Sean Mussenden can be reached at 202-662-7668 or .
Journal reporter James Romoser contributed to this report.