Mitch McConnell

Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. (born February 20, 1942) is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was the Minority Leader of the Senate. He is the longest-serving U.S. Senator in Kentucky history.^[1] McConnell holds conservative positions, despite regarding as a moderate Republican early in his career.

Mitch McConnell
Chair of the Senate Rules Committee
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Amy Klobuchar
In office January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001
Preceded by	Chris Dodd
Succeeded by	Chris Dodd
In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	John Warner
Succeeded by	Chris Dodd
Senate Minority Leader
In office January 20, 2021 – January 3, 2025
Whip	John Thune
Preceded by	Chuck Schumer
Succeeded by	Chuck Schumer
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2015
Whip	Trent Lott Jon Kyl John Cornyn
Preceded by	Harry Reid
Succeeded by	Harry Reid
Senate Majority Leader
In office January 3, 2015 – January 20, 2021
Whip	John Cornyn John Thune
Preceded by	Harry Reid
Succeeded by	Chuck Schumer
Leader of the Senate Republican Conference
In office January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2025
Preceded by	Bill Frist
Succeeded by	John Thune
Senate Majority Whip
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
Leader	Bill Frist
Preceded by	Harry Reid
Succeeded by	Dick Durbin
United States Senator from Kentucky
Incumbent
Assumed office January 3, 1985 Serving with Rand Paul
Preceded by	Walter Dee Huddleston
Judge-Executive of Jefferson County
In office December 1, 1977 – December 21, 1984
President	Gerald Ford
Preceded by	Todd Hollenbach III
Succeeded by	Bremer Ehrler
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs
Acting
In office February 1, 1975 – June 27, 1975
Preceded by	Vincent Rakestraw
Succeeded by	Michael Uhlmann
Personal details
Born	Addison Mitchell McConnell III (1942-02-20) February 20, 1942 (age 83) Sheffield, Alabama, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Sherrill Redmon ​ ​ (m. 1968; div. 1980)​ Elaine Chao ​ (m. 1993)​
Children	3
Residence	Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Education	University of Louisville (BA) University of Kentucky (JD)
Signature
Website	Senate website
Military service
Branch/service	United States Army Army Reserve
Years of service	July 9, 1967 – August 15, 1967 (medical separation)

Early life

Mitch McConnell was born to Julia (née Shockley) and Addison Mitchell McConnell at Helen Keller Memorial Hospital in Sheffield, Alabama on February 20, 1942.^{[2][3] [4]}He grew up in segregated Athens, Alabama.^[5] They moved to southern Louisville, Kentucky and McConnell attended the duPont Manual High School. In 1964, he graduated with honors from the University of Louisville with a B.A. in political science. He graduated in 1967 from the University of Kentucky College of Law.

Career

In 1984, McConnell ran for the United States Senate against two-term Democratic incumbent Walter "Dee" Huddleston. The election race wasn't decided until the last polls returned came in, and McConnell won by a thin margin—only 5,200 votes out of more than 1.8 million votes cast, just over 0.4%.^[6]

McConnell was the only Republican Senate challenger to win that year, despite Ronald Reagan's landslide victory in the presidential election. Part of McConnell's success came from a series of television campaign spots called "Where's Dee", which featured a group of bloodhounds trying to find Huddleston,^[7][8] implying that Huddleston's attendance record in the Senate was less than stellar. It is likely that he was helped by Ronald Reagan's 21-point win in Kentucky that year. His campaign bumper stickers and television ads asked voters to "Switch to Mitch".

McConnell has repeatedly been found to have the lowest home state approval rating of any sitting senator.^[9][10]

In February 2025, McConnell announced that he would not run for re-election in 2026.^[11]

Personal life

McConnell is a member of the Baptist Church. His first wife was Sherrill Redmon,^[12] from whom he was later divorced; they have three daughters. His second wife, whom he married in 1993, is Elaine Chao, the Secretary of Transportation under Donald Trump and the former Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush (the first Asian American woman to serve in the Cabinet).

Senator McConnell's personal fortune was between $9,839,049 to $44,587,000 in 2010 and he was ranked as the 10th wealthiest member of the U.S. Senate.^[13]

In October 2024, the first autobiographical book, "The Price of Power: How Mitch McConnell Mastered the Senate, Changed America, and Lost His Party", about Mitch McConnell, will be released in the United States.^[14]