Longtime Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell on Thursday said he will not seek another term in office when he is up for re-election in 2026.
The Kentucky politician has been a fixture of conservative politics since he was first elected to the Senate in 1984. But his Thursday announcement, made on his 83rd birthday, comes after he recently drew the ire of fellow Republicans for voting against the confirmation of Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s newly-appointed Defense Secretary; McConnell was also the lone Republican to vote against Robert F. Kennedy Jr. becoming the head of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month.
“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell said in prepared marks that were shared with the Associated Press. “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 chair of the Senate Rules Committee shared the news with the AP before addressing his fellow politicians on the Senate floor on Thursday.
McConnell was the Senate Majority Leader from early 2015 to 2021, and was previously the Minority Leader from 2007 through 2014. His Thursday announcement comes almost a year after he stepped down as the head of the Senate Republicans.
During his time as Majority Leader, McConnell oversaw the appointment of three judges to the Supreme Court that were picked by President Trump in his first term. More recently, McConnell has been a vocal supporter of sending money to Ukraine to fight off Russian forces.
His decision to not run for re-election comes after McConnell has dealt with health issues in the past few years. Notably, he seemingly “froze up” on multiple occasions in 2023.
McConnell’s pending exit also comes after President Trump has made it clear he has not been happy with him lately. “I feel sorry for Mitch. He’s not equipped mentally,” the president said after he voted against RFK Jr. “He wasn’t equipped 10 years ago, mentally, in my opinion.”
