参议院多数党领袖约翰·图恩。南达科他州米切尔——特朗普总统向参议院多数党领袖约翰·图恩（共和党，南达科他州）施压，要求通过《拯救美国法案》（SAVE America Act），压力之大以至于他在家乡的草原小镇上也遭到了一顿指责。
Senate Majority Leader John Thune. MITCHELL, S.D.—President Trump’s pressure on Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) to pass the SAVE America Act had reached such intense levels that he was getting an earful in prairie towns back home.
“你得更用力地争取，”南达科他州共和党主席吉姆·埃申鲍姆说，他曾这样告诉图恩，并描述了他是如何推动这位领袖让同僚批准该法案，以强制实施更严格的投票资格审查。埃申鲍姆回忆说，图恩的回应是：“我只有一票——我不能强迫他们投赞成票。”
“You’ve got to advocate harder,” Jim Eschenbaum, the South Dakota GOP chairman, said he told Thune, describing how he had pushed the leader to get colleagues to approve the measure to force stricter checks on voting eligibility. Thune’s response was: “I’m only one vote—I can’t force them to vote for it,” Eschenbach recalled.
65岁的图恩因未能通过这项全面的投票法案，数月来承受了特朗普的猛烈抨击，激起了共和党基本盘对这位参议院领袖的不满。在共和党党团内部，一些参议员在大选前抱怨图恩搁置了关于可负担性措施的投票。在南达科他州老家，已有人议论初选挑战。在华盛顿，一些盟友表示担心，如果共和党失去参议院多数党地位，图恩可能会成为特朗普等人指责的对象。
Thune, 65 years old, took heat for months from Trump for not passing the sweeping voting bill, stirring up frustration at the Senate leader among the GOP base. Inside the Republican conference, some senators complained when Thune sidelined votes on affordability measures ahead of the election. At home in South Dakota, there is talk of a primary challenge. In Washington, some allies say they fear Thune could take the blame from Trump and others if the GOP loses the Senate majority.
所有这些让图恩处于微妙的境地，距离这位身材修长的南达科他人接替参议员米奇·麦康奈尔（共和党，肯塔基州）出任参议院共和党首席领袖还不到两年。预计中期选举后，共和党同僚在选举领袖时，他将获得广泛支持，目前无人宣布挑战。但一些共和党人认为，这个职位可能难以守住——或者让人提不起劲来守住。
All of this has left Thune in a delicate position, less than two years after the lanky South Dakotan took over as the top Senate Republican from Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.). He is expected to have broad support when GOP colleagues pick their leader after the midterms, and no one has announced a challenge. But some Republicans suggest that the job could prove hard—or unappealing—to hold on to.
“我认为他的前途将取决于我们能否保住参议院，”极具影响力的“促进增长俱乐部”主席大卫·麦金托什说，并提到共和党活动人士的挫败感，特别是对选举法案停滞不前的不满。
“I think his future will be determined by whether or not we keep the Senate,” said David McIntosh, the president of the influential Club for Growth, citing frustration from GOP activists, particularly over the stalling out of the elections measure.
图恩已表示，无论共和党在中期选举后是保住还是失去参议院控制权，他都将竞选领袖职位。（Aaron Schwartz/Press Pool 摄）共和党目前以53比47占优，但民主党被视为有很大机会翻盘夺回控制权。
Thune has indicated that he will run for leader whether Republicans keep or lose the Senate after the midterms. (Aaron Schwartz/Press Pool) Republicans currently have a 53-47 edge, but Democrats are seen as having a good shot to flip the chamber.
桑恩的盟友表示，特朗普的决策是共和党面临挑战的核心。由于美国与伊朗的战争以及关税导致汽油和柴油价格高企，加上关税因素，许多倾向共和党的州变成了摇摆州。特朗普还背书了一些被视为有缺陷的共和党候选人，例如得克萨斯州检察长肯·帕克斯顿和佐治亚州众议员迈克·柯林斯。
Thune allies say decisions by Trump lie at the center of the GOP’s challenges. High gasoline and diesel prices because of the U.S. war with Iran, along with tariffs, have put many red-leaning states in play. Trump also endorsed some GOP candidates seen as flawed, such as Attorney General Ken Paxton in Texas and Rep. Mike Collins in Georgia.
“我敢向你保证，他们自己不会承担责任，”参议员约翰·科宁（共和党-得克萨斯州）在被问及他是否认为白宫会怪罪桑恩，或者特朗普是否会承认自己在参议院选举失利中应负的责任时说道。科宁在特朗普支持帕克斯顿后，在初选中落败。
“I can guarantee you that they won’t accept responsibility themselves,” said Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas) when asked if he thought the White House would blame Thune, or whether Trump would acknowledge his own role in any Senate losses. Cornyn lost his primary after Trump backed Paxton.
今年早些时候被问及是否担心总统可能试图将他赶下台时，桑恩表示“这种事可能发生”。特朗普会试图把责任推给他吗？“你永远不要对总统有任何预设，”桑恩在8月说道。上个月被问及大选后是否预料会面临领导层挑战时，他大笑道：“我不知道。”
Asked earlier this year if he worried whether the president might try to oust him, Thune said “that could happen.”Would Trump try to shift any blame his way? “You never assume anything with the president,” Thune said in August. He laughed last month when asked if he expected a leadership challenge after the election: “I don’t know.”
桑恩已表明，无论共和党保住还是失去参议院控制权，他都将竞选领袖职位。发言人瑞安·拉斯表示，桑恩“正在竞选第120届国会的参议院共和党领袖，这一点毫无歧义。”“斗志昂扬”上周，桑恩现身内布拉斯加州和爱荷华州，与候选人同台亮相。他还为桑恩阵营的超级政治行动委员会“参议院领导基金”筹集了数亿美元，用于在全国范围内投放广告。
Thune has indicated that he will run for leader whether Republicans keep or lose the Senate. Spokesman Ryan Wrasse said Thune “is running to be Senate Republican leader in the 120th Congress, and there’s no ambiguity about it.”‘Fire in his belly’Thune appeared alongside candidates in Nebraska and Iowa last week.
参议员迈克·朗兹（共和党-南达科他州）表示，他在休会期间多次与桑恩交谈，称桑恩“依然斗志昂扬。他依然想要成就一番事业。”
He has also helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars for the Thune-aligned super PAC, Senate Leadership Fund, to deploy in ads nationwide.
特朗普称“拯救美国法案”对于赢得中期选举和未来的选举至关重要，该法案将要求提供公民身份证明才能登记投票，并包含其他措施。他公开施压桑恩设法通过该法案，激起了基层的骚动。
Sen. Mike Rounds (R., S.D.), who said he has talked to Thune many times during the recess, said Thune has “still got the fire in his belly. He still wants to make things happen.”Trump has called the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, among other measures, critical for winning the midterms and future elections.
随着中期选举临近，特朗普态度有所缓和。九月在达拉斯举行的中期党代会上，共和党人对图恩的名字发出嘘声时，特朗普为他辩护，称他在民主党的反对下“努力工作”。总统带图恩及其家人参观了他新建的直升机停机坪，知情人士形容此次会面气氛温和。
He publicly pressed Thune to find a way to pass the measure, stirring up grassroots agitation. Trump eased up as the midterms drew near. When Republicans booed Thune’s name at the midterm convention in Dallas in September, Trump defended him as “working hard” amid Democratic opposition.
本月初，图恩和内布拉斯加州参议员皮特·里基茨（共和党，内布拉斯加州）在弗里蒙特的竞选活动上。（Dylan Widger/彭博新闻）一些支持图恩的人不愿断言他已稳坐第一把交椅。
The president gave Thune and his family a tour of his new helipad, in a visit that was described by people familiar with the meeting as warm. Thune and Sen. Pete Ricketts (R., Neb.) at a campaign event in Fremont, Neb., earlier this month. (Dylan Widger/Bloomberg News)
“他在做一份出色的工作，”肯塔基州众议员安迪·巴尔（共和党，肯塔基州）表示，他预计今年秋天将赢得一个空缺的参议院席位。“我有信心他将继续担任多数党领袖。”但他补充说，“参议院里野心勃勃的人不少——我不打算预测不会有竞争”，如果共和党失去多数席位的话。
Some aligned with Thune are stopping short of saying that he has a lock on the top spot. “He’s doing a great job,” said Rep. Andy Barr (R., Ky.), set to win an open Senate seat this fall. “I have confidence that he will continue to be majority leader.”
图恩的盟友表示，他能够落实削减开支和减税等共和党优先事项。他们说，他曾试图通过《拯救美国法案》，但最终数字对不上：他既没有推动法案所需的60票，也没有修改参议院规则所需的51票。
But, he said, “there’s a lot of ambition in the Senate—I’m not going to predict that there’s not going to be a competition” in the event that Republicans lose the majority. Thune allies say he was able to deliver on Republican priorities like spending reductions and tax cuts.
白宫发言人戴维斯·英格尔表示，白宫和总统“很高兴”与图恩密切合作，兑现对美国人民的承诺。“我们期待继续保持这种密切关系。”国内压力增大图恩在家乡保持着一个紧密的圈子，他几乎每个周末都会回去。夏季休会期间，他滔滔不绝地介绍自己塞进农业法案的条款，以帮助牧场主和大豆种植者，并与在达科塔费斯特（年度农业会议）上出现的牛仔裤访客们以名字相称地交流。
They say he tried to pass the SAVE America Act but ultimately the math didn’t work: He didn’t have the 60 votes to advance the bill, nor the 51 votes to change Senate rules. White House spokesman Davis Ingle said the White House and president “have enjoyed working closely” with Thune to deliver on promises to the American people. “We look forward to continuing this close relationship.”Pressure building at home
据南达科他州苏瀑市前市长保罗·滕海肯说，人们还能看到他在当地枪店买弹药去打环颈雉，或者在当地体育酒吧和朋友见面吃奶酪球或汉堡。
Thune has maintained a tight circle back home, where he goes almost every weekend.
“他是出于使命感才做这份工作，觉得自己正是在此时此地被召唤来承担这项工作，”滕海肯说。
Over the summer recess, he rattled off provisions he had stuck into the farm bill to help ranchers and soybean growers, interacting on a first-name basis with the jeans-clad visitors who showed up at Dakotafest, the annual farm conference.
但压力可能会增大。该州党主席埃申鲍姆预测，当图恩2028年竞选连任时，将面临初选挑战，而且这场挑战可能会成功。“如果足够多的人开始努力赶走某个人，他们就能把他赶走。这只是看人们愿意付出多大努力的问题。”
He can be seen at a local gun store buying shells to go pheasant hunting, or meeting friends for cheeseballs or burgers at a local sports bar, according to Paul TenHaken, the former mayor of Sioux Falls, S.D. “He is doing this job because he feels called to do this job at this time in our country,” TenHaken said. But pressures could build.
埃申鲍姆表示，活动人士斯科特·普雷斯勒——他是SAVE美国法案的著名倡导者——告诉他，可以筹集资金来资助一场初选挑战。普雷斯勒没有回应置评请求。普雷斯勒超级政治行动委员会的一位主要捐款人是埃隆·马斯克，该委员会专注于提高共和党选民投票率；马斯克的美国政治行动委员会上个月捐赠了100万美元。马斯克未能联系上以置评。
Eschenbaum, the state party chairman, predicted that there will be a primary challenge when Thune is up for re-election in 2028 and it could succeed. “If enough people start working to oust someone, they’ll get him ousted. It’s just a matter of how hard people are willing to work.”Eschenbaum said activist Scott Presler, a prominent proponent of the SAVE America Act, told him that he could get the money to fund a primary challenge. Presler didn’t respond to requests for comment.
SLF执行主任亚历克斯·拉塔姆表示，普雷斯勒“在共和党政治中不是一个严肃的因素”。SLF是与图恩结盟的超级政治行动委员会。
A major donor to Presler’s super PAC, which focuses on GOP voter turnout, is Elon Musk, whose America PAC gave $1 million last month. Musk couldn’t be reached to comment.
图恩的盟友表示，他能够落实共和党的优先事项，如削减开支和减税。一些共和党参议员的不满选举前，一些共和党人表示，图恩没有给他们足够的机会来展示他们正在努力降低成本。在会期的最后几周，他优先安排了加密货币和大学体育法案的议程时间。
Alex Latcham, the executive director of SLF, the Thune-aligned super PAC, said Presler is “not a serious factor in Republican politics.”Thune allies say he was able to deliver on Republican priorities like spending reductions and tax cuts. Complaints from some GOP senators
虽然图恩确实举行了一场与电力成本和数据中心相关的投票，但其他法案被搁置了。苏珊·柯林斯参议员（缅因州，共和党）——她是最脆弱的共和党人之一——没有就其为私人保险人群限制胰岛素费用的提案进行投票。约翰·肯尼迪参议员（路易斯安那州，共和党）表示，图恩之所以提及数据中心立法，是因为“我们很多人大闹一场”。
Ahead of the election, some Republicans said Thune didn’t give them enough chances to show they were fighting to bring down costs. In the final weeks of the session, he prioritized giving floor time to cryptocurrency and college-sports bills. While Thune did hold a vote related to electricity costs and data centers, other bills were left out.
里克·斯科特参议员（佛罗里达州，共和党）表示，参议院“应该对事情进行投票。第一——人们关心选举安全。第二——他们关心如何降低生活成本。”斯科特在2024年曾与图恩竞争领袖职位，但表示他不打算今年再次参选。
Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine)—one of the most vulnerable Republicans—didn’t get a vote on her proposal to cap insulin costs for people with private insurance. Sen. John Kennedy (R., La.) said Thune only brought up the data-center legislation because “a lot of us raised fresh hell.”
虽然索恩听取了抱怨，但他坚持认为无法满足所有人的需求，并表示其中一些想法不切实际。据知情人士透露，特朗普最近曾推动索恩让参议院复会，通过一项全年实行夏令时的法案，但未能成功。
Sen. Rick Scott (R., Fla.) said the chamber “ought to be voting on things. One—people care about election security. Number two—they care about how do you get the cost of living down.”Scott ran against Thune for leader in 2024 but said he doesn’t plan to do so again this year.
索恩过去曾为自己的政治前途感到纠结，早在2002年首次竞选参议员失利时便是如此，2022年特朗普敦促时任南达科他州州长克里斯蒂·诺姆对他发起挑战时，他再度陷入纠结。（诺姆拒绝了，索恩轻松赢得连任。）“我觉得如果他决定不再觉得有趣，他可能就会离开参议院，”迪克·瓦德哈姆斯说。他曾操盘索恩2004年击败时任参议院少数党领袖汤姆·达施勒（民主党-南达科他州）的竞选。“但我也知道他有那种好胜的一面。我认为这是他将不得不克服的东西。”
While Thune heard the complaints, he maintained that he couldn’t meet everyone’s needs and suggested some of the ideas weren’t practical. Recently, Trump unsuccessfully pushed Thune to bring the Senate back into session to pass a year-round daylight-saving-time bill, according to people familiar with the matter. Thune has wrestled with his political future in the past, back when he lost his first run for Senate in 2002 and again in 2022 after Trump urged then-South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem to run against him. (She declined, and Thune won re-election easily.) “I think he could walk away from the Senate if he just decided it wasn’t fun anymore,” said Dick Wadhams, who managed Thune’s 2004 win over then-Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D., S.D.). “But I also know that he has got that competitive side to him. I think that’s something he is going to have to work through.”