Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has announced that he will be stepping down from his leadership role in November. He said in a prepared statement, “One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter… So I stand before you today … to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”
He continued:
“As I have been thinking about when I would deliver some news to the Senate, I always imagined a moment when I had total clarity and peace about the sunset of my work. A moment when I am certain I have helped preserve the ideals I so strongly believe. It arrived today.”
“I love the Senate. It has been my life. There may be more distinguished members of this body throughout our history, but I doubt there are any with more admiration for it, he added. “Father Time remains undefeated. I am no longer the young man sitting in the back, hoping colleagues would remember my name. It is time for the next generation of leadership.”
McConnell is the longest-serving Senate leader in history. He has been a member of the chamber for almost 40 years, and turned 82 just last week. He plans to continue to serve out his term, which concludes in January 2027.
