Kentucky’s 82-year-old senator, the longest-serving Senate leader in history, plans to step down as minority leader by the year’s end.
Mitch McConnell, hailing from Kentucky, will resign as the Republican leader in the US Senate, adding further upheaval to an already tumultuous election cycle.
McConnell, at 82 years old, holds the record as the longest-serving Senate leader. Despite his tenure, he remains a deeply polarizing figure in America’s sharply divided political landscape. Recent health scares in public have fueled intense speculation about his well-being.
McConnell’s aides clarified that his decision to step aside, announced on the Senate floor on Wednesday, was unrelated to his health.
“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is knowing when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” McConnell stated. “So I stand before you today… to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”
From the White House, Joe Biden, who served alongside McConnell in the Senate for over two decades, expressed his sentiments: “I’ve trusted him, and we have a great relationship. We fight like hell. But he has never, never, never misrepresented anything. I’m sorry to hear he’s stepping down.”
Concurrently, McConnell has been the subject of speculation regarding when he will endorse Donald Trump for president in the anticipated rematch with Biden this year.
The relationship between McConnell and Trump soured notably on January 6, 2021, when Trump urged supporters to storm Congress in a bid to halt the certification of Biden’s victory. McConnell voted to acquit Trump in his subsequent impeachment trial, arguing that he had already left office, though he condemned Trump’s actions. In response, Trump launched personal attacks on McConnell and made racist remarks about his wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Despite McConnell’s expectations, Trump has remained a prominent figure, facing 91 criminal charges, numerous civil defeats, and efforts to bar him from running for office for his role in inciting an insurrection. Nevertheless, Trump is poised for a potential third consecutive nomination.
Reflecting on McConnell’s actions during the second impeachment trial, Maryland Democrat and House impeachment manager Jamie Raskin expressed mixed sentiments: “I felt that he was appalled by what Donald Trump had done, he knew the truth about what Donald Trump had done, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to vote to convict along with seven other Republican colleagues who joined the Democrats.”
Raskin acknowledged McConnell’s predicament in dealing with Trump’s influence over the Republican Party but lamented the lack of ultimate courage in not voting to convict. He underscored the importance of holding Trump accountable to prevent a recurrence of the tumultuous events surrounding his presidency.
Amid growing concerns over the threat posed by Trump to American democracy, nearly all members of McConnell’s leadership team have endorsed Trump, with the exception of Joni Ernst of Iowa, who has left the door open to such an endorsement.
In the Senate chamber, McConnell emphasized his understanding of the current political dynamics within his party: “Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time. I have many faults, but misunderstanding politics is not one of them.” Nevertheless, he reaffirmed his steadfast belief in the importance of America’s global leadership in upholding the ideals of democracy.
McConnell, who joined the Senate in 1985 during Ronald Reagan’s presidency, remains committed to defending American exceptionalism as long as he is able.
Reflecting on his early days in the Senate, McConnell humorously recalled, “When I got here, I was just happy if anybody remembered my name. President Reagan called me Mitch O’Donnell. Close enough, I thought.”
McConnell ascended to lead Senate Republicans in 2006. His tenure as majority leader from 2015 to 2021 was marked by significant achievements, notably navigating the challenges posed by Trump and orchestrating the confirmation of three conservative Supreme Court justices, which shifted the court’s balance firmly to the right.
To accomplish this, McConnell employed bold tactics, including the refusal to consider Merrick Garland, Barack Obama’s nominee to replace the late conservative Justice Antonin Scalia. McConnell argued that the nomination should be delayed until after the presidential election, allowing voters to have a say in the type of justice they preferred. Following Trump’s victory, McConnell swiftly confirmed Neil Gorsuch, a conservative jurist with ties to corporate interests, to the vacant seat.
McConnell then oversaw the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative figure known for his partisan ties and previous work under George W. Bush, to succeed Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. Despite a tumultuous confirmation process, marked by allegations of sexual assault from Christine Blasey Ford, which Kavanaugh vehemently denied, McConnell remained steadfast in his support, famously declaring he stood “stronger than mule piss” behind Kavanaugh.
In a significant departure from his previous stance on delaying Supreme Court nominations, McConnell expedited the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett, a staunch Catholic with conservative views, to fill the vacancy left by the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg. This move occurred just before the end of Trump’s term, further solidifying the court’s conservative majority and stirring controversy among progressives.
Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko urged his followers on Wednesday to “never forget” McConnell’s impact on the Supreme Court and the nation.
Democratic Congressman Adam Schiff criticized McConnell for “stacking the court, undermining our democracy, and enabling Donald Trump,” predicting that the Senate GOP would likely choose an even more extreme successor in McConnell’s absence.
Law professor Carl Tobias of the University of Richmond, Virginia, acknowledged McConnell’s significant legacy, particularly in reshaping the Supreme Court with epochal decisions like Dobbs v Jackson, which curtailed the federal right to abortion, as well as rulings on contentious issues such as gun control and affirmative action.
“Tobias highlighted McConnell’s significant contribution to Trump’s appointment and confirmation of 54 ideologically conservative appeals court judges, along with the filling of all 179 appeals court judgeships during Trump’s tenure. This marked the first time since the mid-1980s that all active judgeships were filled.”
McConnell affirmed his determination, stating, “I still have enough gas in my tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics. And I intend to do so with all the enthusiasm with which they have become accustomed.”
His drive to regain the majority in a Senate currently skewed in Republicans’ favor will propel his leadership in the final months. McConnell announced that a new leader would be elected in November to assume the role in January.
Among the leading contenders to succeed McConnell, who are expected to emulate his assertive political tactics and adept fundraising, are his deputy, John Thune of South Dakota, as well as two other prominent figures in the party’s leadership, John Cornyn of Texas and John Barrasso of Wyoming. McConnell successfully fended off a challenge from Rick Scott of Florida in November last year.
Reflecting on McConnell’s departure, Thune remarked simply, “He leaves really big shoes to fill.”
Retiring Utah Senator Mitt Romney, representing a minority faction within the party, quipped, “The wing of the party that I represent is so small, it’s the size of a Tyrannosaurus Rex leg – arm.”
However, some Republicans expressed eagerness for McConnell’s departure, with Senator Josh Hawley commenting, “This is a good development – my question is: Why wait so long?” suggesting that McConnell should step down sooner than his announced November departure.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York acknowledged the ideological differences between himself and McConnell, stating, “We rarely saw eye to eye… but I am very proud that we both came together in the last few years to lead the Senate forward at critical moments when our country needed us, like passing the CARES Act in the early days of the Covid pandemic, finishing our work to certify the election on January 6, and more recently working together to fund the fight for Ukraine.”
McConnell’s legacy will undoubtedly be viewed differently by Americans. The Lincoln Project, an anti-Trump group founded by former Republican operatives, criticized McConnell, stating that he would “go down in history as a spineless follower who cowered to a wannabe dictator clown. He chose the power of a tyrant over protecting democracy.”
