Senate Minority Leader McConnell Steps Down

Minority Leader McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history will step down from that position in November. Sen. McConnell (R-KY), who turned 82 last week, announced his decision from the Senate floor.  Per his comments, “one of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter. So I stand before you today ... to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.  Father time remains undefeated. I’m no longer the young man sitting in the back.  It’s time for the next generation of leadership.”

Sen. McConnell (R-KY) has long been the top fundraiser for Senate Republicans through cycles of holding or regaining the majority over his 17-year tenure as the Republican Party Leader. He does not intend to retire from the Senate entirely, “I still have enough gas in my tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics.” He is up for reelection in 2026 and rumors on who will replace McConnell as leader are: Sens. Thune (R-SD), Cornyn (R-TX), and Barrasso (R-WY). President Biden praised his relationship with McConnell “we’ve had a great relationship. We fight like hell, but he never, never, never misrepresented anything. I’m sorry to hear he’s stepping down.”