Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced his retirement on Thursday, marking the end of a career for one of the Senate‘s most consequential Republican leaders.
McConnell, first elected to the upper chamber in 1984, delivered the announcement in remarks from the Senate floor, reflecting on the path that led him to represent Kentucky for four decades.
He is the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, helping cement a conservative majority on the Supreme Court and steer Washington toward greater engagement on the world stage.
“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell said in his remarks. “Every day in between, I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business right here. Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.”
The Associated Press reported the retirement ahead of McConnell’s speech, delivered on his 83rd birthday.
McConnell’s announcement had been widely expected after he stepped down as minority leader at the end of the last Congress, clearing the way for Sen. John Thune (R-SD) to replace him.
He has committed to serving out the remainder of his term, which ends in 2027, but has been increasingly confined to a wheelchair after suffering multiple tripping incidents.
McConnell is a childhood survivor of polio, with his staff attributing the falls to leg stiffness.
It did not take long for Republicans to begin jockeying for his Kentucky Senate seat as Daniel Cameron, the state’s former attorney general, launched a campaign within minutes of McConnell’s Thursday announcement. Rep. Andy Barr (R-KY) also expressed interest.
The state is comfortably red, prompting the National Republican Senatorial Committee to express confidence that an “America First conservative” will take McConnell’s place.
“Our country is grateful for his leadership and legacy of confirming conservative judges and justices, and safeguarding the Republican Senate Majority,” Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) said in a statement.
But Republicans are hoping Andy Beshear, the popular Democratic governor of Kentucky, won’t reconsider his decision to rule out a 2026 Senate run.
Until then, McConnell has promised not to shrink from his hawkish foreign policy stance. He became the chairman of the Appropriations Committee’s defense panel in January, allowing him to shape military spending for the next two years.
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His more establishment views have put him in conflict with President Donald Trump as well, with their relationship souring after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. As a rank-and-file member, McConnell has been one of the only Republicans to vote against his Cabinet nominees.
“Lest any of our colleagues still doubt my intentions for the remainder of my term, I have some unfinished business to attend to,” McConnell said on Thursday. “To the disappointment of my critics, I’m still here, doing the job.”
