Mitch McConnell | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Official portrait, 2016 | |
| Senate Minority Leader | |
| Assumed office January 20, 2021 | |
| Whip | John Thune |
| Preceded by | Chuck Schumer |
| In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2015 | |
| Whip | |
| Preceded by | Harry Reid |
| Succeeded by | Harry Reid |
| Senate Majority Leader | |
| In office January 3, 2015 – January 20, 2021 | |
| Whip |
|
| Preceded by | Harry Reid |
| Succeeded by | Chuck Schumer |
| Leader of the Senate Republican Conference | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2007 | |
| Preceded by | Bill Frist |
| Senate Majority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007 | |
| Leader | Bill Frist |
| Preceded by | Harry Reid |
| Succeeded by | Dick Durbin |
| Chair of the Senate Rules Committee | |
| In office January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | Chris Dodd |
| Succeeded by | Chris Dodd |
| In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2001 | |
| Preceded by | John Warner |
| Succeeded by | Chris Dodd |
| United States Senator from Kentucky | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1985 Serving with Rand Paul | |
| Preceded by | Walter Dee Huddleston |
| Judge/Executive of Jefferson County | |
| In office December 1, 1977 – December 21, 1984 | |
| Preceded by | Todd Hollenbach III |
| Succeeded by | Bremer Ehrler |
| United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs | |
| Acting February 1, 1975 – June 27, 1975 | |
| President | Gerald Ford |
| Preceded by | Vincent Rakestraw |
| Succeeded by | Michael Uhlmann |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Addison Mitchell McConnell III February 20, 1942 Sheffield, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence(s) | Louisville, Kentucky, U.S. |
| Education | |
| Signature |  |
| Website | Senate website |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | |
| Years of service | July 9, 1967 – August 15, 1967 (medical separation) |
Addison Mitchell McConnell III[1] (/məˈkɒnəl/; born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney who has been serving as senate minority leader since 2021 and the senior United States senator from Kentucky since 1985, the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history. McConnell has been the leader of the Senate Republican Conference since 2007, including as majority leader from 2015 to 2021, making him the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history.
McConnell holds conservative political positions, although he was known as a pragmatist and a moderate Republican early in his political career. He led opposition to stricter campaign finance laws, culminating in the U.S. Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC, which partially overturned the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold) in 2010. McConnell worked to withhold Republican support for major presidential initiatives during the Obama administration, making frequent use of the filibuster, and blocked many of President Obama's judicial nominees, including Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.
During the Trump administration, the Senate Republican majority under McConnell's leadership passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act in 2018, the First Step Act, and the Great American Outdoors Act, and confirmed a record number of federal appeals court judges during a president's first two years. McConnell invoked the nuclear option to eliminate the 60-vote requirement to end a filibuster for Supreme Court nominations, after his predecessor Harry Reid had eliminated the filibuster for all other presidential nominations; Trump subsequently won Supreme Court confirmation battles over Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. While supportive of most of Trump's domestic and foreign policies, McConnell criticized Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and despite voting to acquit in Trump's second impeachment trial for reasons related to the constitutionality of impeaching a former president, deemed him "practically and morally responsible" for the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[2]
In 2015, 2019 and 2023, Time listed McConnell as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.[3][4] On February 28, 2024, McConnell announced that he would step down as the Senate Republican Conference Leader in January 2025, but would serve the remainder of his Senate term.[5][6][7] An internal election to fill the post of Senate Republican Leader was held on November 13, in which South Dakota senator John Thune was selected.[8]
- ^ McConnell, Mitch (2016). "Chapter One: A fighting spirit". The Long Game: a Memoir. New York, NY: Sentinel. p. 9. ISBN 9780399564123. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
...my mother graduated from Wadley High School in 1937. Soon after graduation, she found her way out of rural Alabama and into Birmingham...It was here that she met A.M. McConnell II.
- ^ "McConnell says Trump was "practically and morally responsible" for riot after voting not guilty". cbsnews.com. February 14, 2021. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
- ^ Boehner, John (April 16, 2015). "Mitch McConnell". Time. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
- ^ "Mitch McConnell: The 100 Most Influential People of 2019". Time. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
- ^ Tackett, Michael (February 28, 2024). "McConnell will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November after a record run in the job". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ Mangan, Dan (February 28, 2024). "Mitch McConnell to step down as Republican Senate leader in November: Report". CNBC. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ Hughes, Siobhan (February 28, 2024). "Mitch McConnell to Step Down as Senate Minority Leader in November". The Wall Street Journal. News Corp. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
- ^ Jalonick and Groves, Mary Clare and Stephen (November 13, 2024). "Republican John Thune of South Dakota is elected the next Senate majority leader". Associated Press. Retrieved November 13, 2024.