Both parties do this every Congress. The Republicans will be electing their leadership for the new Congress tomorrow.
The formal vote is taken when the new Congress convenes, but both parties do the actual electing early, so the new leaders can start preparing.
Seems kind of dumb. The 'Pubs have the majority right now, so they should elect the Senate leader. Likewise the House. If the 'Rats want meaningless gestures, give them to them.