Aide: McConnell, Lott to lead Senate Republicans

[Ron Burgundy]

Reuters - Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was elected on Wednesday to be U.S. Senate Republican leader as his vanquished party prepares to turn over control of Congress to Democrats in January, a Republican aide said.

McConnell, now Senate Republican whip, ran unopposed. He will replace Bill Frist of Tennessee, who is retiring from Congress as he mulls a possible run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.

In a closed-door meeting of the Senate Republican caucus, Sen. Trent Lott (news, bio, voting record) of Mississippi, a former Senate Republican leader, was elected to replace McConnell as whip. Lott defeated Sen. Lamar Alexander (news, bio, voting record) of Tennessee by one vote, a party aide said.

McConnell's and Lott's elections were to be announced later in the day, as well as the outcomes of races for other Senate Republican leadership posts since the party lost control of the Senate and House of Representatives in last week's congressional elections.