Washington, D.C. - Senator Ron Johnson (WI) made the following statement regarding the Senate Republican Conference election for Vice-Chair:

“While I did not win this race, I am tremendously grateful for the level of support I received. I want to thank my colleagues who supported my bid, those who encouraged me to run, and those who spoke to others on my behalf. I also want to thank the grassroots voices outside the Senate who supported my candidacy.

“I realize it’s relatively audacious for someone who’s been here for just eleven months to run for leadership, but Washington is bankrupting this nation. We are mortgaging our children’s future – because of a lack of presidential leadership and a do-nothing Senate led by Harry Reid. Washington hasn’t listened. I thought that having an independent voice at the leadership table would help get that message across.

“My colleagues chose a different path; they chose someone with different skills. I wish Senator Roy Blunt well. I appreciate his graciousness during the race and I am committed to doing everything I can to help him succeed.

“I am here to build consensus, but I believe you build consensus by having all viewpoints at the table. We build consensus among the American people by communicating the extent of the problem. That’s what we need to do.

“I’m not going to change. I’m pretty tenacious. As a manufacturer, when I see that something is broken, I try to fix it. As long as I’m here, I’m going to do everything I possibly can to fix the problem, and be an independent voice for Wisconsin.”

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