Mitch McConnell, who served as the Senate leader for almost two decades and became the longest-serving one in history, has announced his decision to step down from the position in November. McConnell, who celebrated his 82nd birthday last week, made the announcement on Wednesday from the Senate floor via AP News.
He first joined the Senate in 1985, and after spending time on the back benches, he rose to the front row seat afforded to party leaders. Despite the dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party during his tenure, McConnell was able to maintain his power and influence in the Senate.
“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” he said. “So I stand before you today … to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”
It has been noted that his decision punctuates a powerful ideological transition underway in the Republican Party, from Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and strong international alliances, to the fiery, often isolationist populism of former President Donald Trump.
McConnell said he plans to serve out his Senate term, which ends in January 2027, “albeit from a different seat in the chamber.” Aides said McConnell’s announcement about the leadership post was unrelated to his health. The Kentucky senator had a concussion from a fall last year and two public episodes where his face briefly froze while he was speaking.
“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,” McConnell said. “A moment when I am certain I have helped preserve the ideals I so strongly believe. It arrived today.”
The senator had been under the pressure from the restive, and at times opposing wing of his party that has joined forces firmly with Trump. The two have been estranged since December 2020, when McConnell refused to abide by Trump’s lie that the election of Democrat Joe Biden as president was the product of fraud.
McConnell gave no specific reason for the timing of his decision, which he has been contemplating for months, but he cited the recent death of his wife’s youngest sister as a moment that prompted introspection. “The end of my contributions are closer than I’d prefer,” McConnell said.
