1996 Senate Republican Conference leadership special election

1996 Senate Republican Conference leadership special election
June 12, 1996
Leader before election; Vacant;	Elected Leader ; Trent Lott;

The 1996 Senate Republican Conference leadership special election was held on June 12, 1996, to elect the leader of the Senate Republican Conference following incumbent Bob Dole's resignation the previous day to focus on his unsuccessful presidential campaign.

Senate Majority Whip Trent Lott of Mississippi won the election, defeating his colleague from the same state and Chair of the Senate Republican Conference Thad Cochran by a wide margin.

Candidates

Candidate	State	Other Senate roles
Trent Lott	Mississippi (Served since 1989)	Republican Senate Whip (Since 1995)
Thad Cochran	Mississippi (Served since 1978)	Chair of the Senate Republican Conference (Since 1991) Vice Chair of the Senate Republican Conference (1985–1991)

Results

Candidate		Votes	Percent
	Trent Lott	44	85%
	Thad Cochran	8	15%
Total:		52	100%
Source:^[1]

References

↑ Rudin, Ken (June 12, 2009). "This Day In 1996: Trent Lott Succeeds Dole As Senate GOP Leader". NPR. Retrieved July 7, 2026.

[1] Rudin, Ken (June 12, 2009). "This Day In 1996: Trent Lott Succeeds Dole As Senate GOP Leader". NPR. Retrieved July 7, 2026.

[1]