Mitch McConnell, senator of the US State of Kentucky, was unanimously elected as majority leader of the Senate during a closed-door leadership election by his fellow Republicans Thursday.
According to NBC News, he was elected by acclamation, meaning that there was not a roll call vote or tally.
McConnell, 72, will take over from current Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who has held the post since his party won the Senate eight years ago, in January when the new Congress convenes, Xinhua reported.
Reid, a Democrat, was expected to be re-elected Thursday to head Senate Democrats in the role of minority leader.
McConnell was elected to a sixth Senate term of six years from Kentucky last week in the mid-term elections in which Republicans gained majority in the Senate and maintained their control of the House of Representatives.
As majority leader, he will be in charge of scheduling the legislative agenda of the 100-member Senate and work with Republican House Speaker John Boehner in the final two years of President Barack Obama's term.