McConnell has been leading Republicans in the Senate for years. Now he’s throwing in the towel.
And Mitch McConnell’s resignation announcement leaves Republicans scratching their heads.
With former President Donald Trump on the verge of capturing the Republican nomination for 2024, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) stated he would step aside before the end of this year.
“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” McConnell said after indicating this will be his “last term as Republican leader in the Senate.”
Nobody has ever held the post of leader for so long.
McConnell was first elected to the Senate while Ronald Reagan was president, and he intends to serve out his current term, which ends in January 2027.
He became Republican leader following the 2006 elections and has won nine straight elections for the position, most recently defeating Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) in November 2022.
But as the years have worn on, McConnell has had plenty of health issues.
Last year, the Kentucky Republican experienced a health scare, freezing several times while speaking with reporters and hurting himself in a tumble.
McConnell returned to the Capitol with a clean bill of health, but as he healed from his concussion and rib injuries, there were reports of similar instances throughout the previous year.
He injured his shoulder after falling in 2019. “I’m very happy to be back,” McConnell added.
“There’s important business for Congress to tackle.” He then deadpanned, “Suffice it to say, this wasn’t the first time that being hardheaded has served me very well.”
With backlash against Biden’s fitness for office and questions surrounding his own, McConnell heeded this sentiment, explaining, “Father Time remains undefeated. I am no longer the young man sitting in the back, hoping colleagues would remember my name. It is time for the next generation of leadership.”
Mitch has clashed with grassroots conservatives in the past, but, at times, he’s helped Trump and America First conservatives.
McConnell guided Trump through his first Senate impeachment trial. “And Mitch, he stayed there right from the beginning, he never changed,” Trump said after being acquitted at a White House celebration.
“And Mitch McConnell, I want to tell you, you did a fantastic job.”
But relations between the two have soured. He took the Left’s side with his reaction to January 6th and has pushed for more and more funding for Ukraine.
While his career has been checkered, we all can agree that he has made the right choice to step aside.
His moment has passed, and it’s time for him to live out the rest of his term into 2027 without the reins of power.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
