Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) announced on Thursday that he will not seek reelection in 2026, marking the end of the longest-serving Senate leader’s political career. McConnell, a key and influential figure in the GOP over the past half-century, made his announcement in a floor speech in the chamber where he has served since 1985.
“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell said, per The Hill. “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.”
McConnell stated that he made the decision last year, the outlet reported. The lead-up to McConnell’s final years began when he announced almost exactly a year ago that he would step down as leader after holding the position for 18 years, a record for any party leader in U.S. history. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) won a closely contested race to succeed him in November.
The announcement also came on his 83rd birthday, which McConnell mentioned at the beginning of his speech, saying he thought it was fitting. He will serve through the end of his term, meaning he will have been in office for 42 years when he departs. During that time, he guided Senate Republicans through numerous political battles, including those that helped secure a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, cut taxes, and steered the nation away from fiscal disaster.
“Thanks to Ronald Reagan’s determination, the work of strengthening American hard power was well underway when I arrived in the Senate,” McConnell said in the prepared remarks. “But since then, we’ve allowed that power to atrophy. And today, a dangerous world threatens to outpace the work of rebuilding it. So, lest any of our colleagues still doubt my intentions for the remainder of my term: I have some unfinished business to attend to.”
