The three Johns: Thune, Cornyn and Barrasso jostle to succeed McConnell

Senators from South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming lead race to become top Senate Republican – but other hopefuls could emerge

There are as many men named John or Jon in the US Senate as there are African Americans and Latinos combined. Three of them are now vying to become Republican leader in the chamber.

Mitch McConnell’s announcement on Wednesday that he will step down in November opens the way for a likely contest between senators John Thune of South Dakota, John Cornyn of Texas and John Barrasso of Wyoming. It is unclear which other senators might jump into the race.