Mitch McConnell, top Republican senator, says he won’t run for re-election – National

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell says he won’t run for re-election next year, signalling the end of one of the most consequential Republican political careers in modern history.

The long-serving Kentucky senator made the announcement in a speech from the Senate floor Thursday, which was also his 83rd birthday.

“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” said McConnell, who was first elected to the upper chamber in 1984. “Every day in-between, I have been humbled by the trust they have placed in me to do their business right here.

“I will not seek this honour an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.”

McConnell said he intends to serve the remainder of his term ending in January 2027.

The senator has experienced several health challenges in recent years, including a fall while leaving the Senate chamber earlier this month.

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He cited his advancing age when he announced a year ago that he would be stepping down as the Republican leader in the Senate, a position he had held since 2007, following the 2024 U.S. election.

At that time, he had experienced multiple episodes of freezing mid-sentence and other stumbles on Capitol Hill, raising concerns about his health and age.

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South Dakota Sen. John Thune, a top McConnell deputy, replaced him as majority leader.


Click to play video: 'Mitch McConnell’s latest freeze raises concerns over aging U.S. political leaders'


Mitch McConnell’s latest freeze raises concerns over aging U.S. political leaders


During his record-long tenure as GOP leader, McConnell spearheaded efforts to stymie Democratic president Barack Obama’s legislative agenda while working to get conservative judges confirmed to courts across the country.

One of his most famous moves was to block Obama’s nomination of Merrick Garland to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016, arguing at the time it would be inappropriate to fill the seat during an election year.

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The vacancy was later filled by Obama’s successor, U.S. President Donald Trump, who would go on to nominate two more Supreme Court justices and solidify a conservative majority on the court.

Although initially supportive of Trump’s presidency during his first term, McConnell broke with Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol amid efforts to overturn the 2020 U.S. election.

McConnell said he held Trump responsible for the attack, but did not vote to convict him in his impeachment, saying it was unconstitutional to impeach a then-former president.


He endorsed Trump in his comeback presidential campaign in 2024, but has been a rare dissenting vote against some of Trump’s cabinet picks this year, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

McConnell cited his childhood battle against polio in voting against Kennedy, who has questioned the science behind vaccine approvals.

Trump and many of his allies have pointed to McConnell as a figurehead of the “old” Republican party, which has been remade in Trump’s populist image. McConnell has long championed Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and muscular foreign policy, including arming Ukraine in its war against Russia’s invasion, while Trump has long been seen as soft on Moscow.

McConnell’s wife, Elaine Chao, served as transportation secretary during Trump’s first term.

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In Kentucky, McConnell’s departure will mark the loss of a powerful advocate and will set off a competitive GOP primary next year for what will now be an open Senate seat.

More to come…

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