Mitch McConnell to Retire at End of Term
WASHINGTON — Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced Thursday that he will not seek reelection next year, ending a political career that saw him rise to become one of the capital’s leading power brokers.
“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell said in remarks prepared for delivery in the Senate chamber later Thursday, the senator’s 83rd birthday.
“Every day in between I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business 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 was the first news organization to report McConnell’s decision.
Over the course of his career, McConnell, who was first elected to the Senate in 1984, was a standard-bearer for Republican causes, and in time, his tenacity and skill enabled him to become the longest-serving party leader in the chamber in U.S. history.
In recent years, the senator has dealt with a number of medical issues, and last year he relinquished his leadership post after the November 2024 election.
South Dakota Sen. John Thune, long one of his deputies, replaced him as majority leader last month.
McConnell’s current term ends in January 2027.
