Thune is the one that jumps out at me. After taking out Tom Daschle, he has steadily slid leftward, become more statist.
Yup, they don’t allow conservatives in the leadership. Although Cornyn and McConnell’s ratings are high, they hide behind the moderates and grease the skids for liberal legislation. And Cornyn in particular as head of the NRSC supported one moderate or liberal after another.