McConnell Announces He Will Not Seek Re-Election

On Thursday morning, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced that he will not seek another term in the upper chamber during next year’s election, a decision that will bring to an end a lengthy career that included serving nearly two decades as party leader in the Senate.

“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell said in a Senate floor speech on his 83rd birthday. “Every day in between I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business right 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.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell (@SenMcConnell): "Seven times my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate…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." pic.twitter.com/b33cR7I36e

— CSPAN (@cspan) February 20, 2025

During a record 18 years as party leader in the Senate, McConnell played a key role in shaping the conservative Supreme Court, sending aid to Ukraine, implementing a sweeping tax overhaul, and handling two impeachment trials for President Donald Trump, per the AP.

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McConnell announced one year ago he would not seek another term as GOP Senate leader. The childhood polio survivor was briefly hospitalized in March 2023 with a concussion from falling. In the months that followed, he appeared to freeze and struggled to answer questions. He also got a cut on his face and sprained his wrist after tripping.

After revealing his plans to step aside from leadership, McConnell indicated that he planned to serve out the remainder of his current term in the Senate, which ends in January 2027, saying in a speech, “I still have enough gas in my tank to thoroughly disappoint my critics and I intend to do so with all the enthusiasm with which they’ve become accustomed.”

McConnell fell again — twice during a short time span — earlier this month. Soon afterward, a spokesperson for the senator told The Daily Wire that McConnell was “fine,” adding, “The lingering effects of polio in his left leg will not disrupt his regular schedule of work.”

Over the past couple of weeks, McConnell has voted against some of Trump’s second-term Cabinet nominees. They included Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

It did not take long for people to start announcing their intention to run for McConnell’s seat after the senator announced his plan to retire. Former Republican Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, who lost a bid for governor in 2023 after being endorsed by Trump, revealed his campaign on X, posting, “Kentucky, it’s time for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Senate. Let’s do this.”

Kentucky, it's time for a new generation of leadership in the U.S. Senate. Let's do this. pic.twitter.com/YRXAm4Busv

— Daniel Cameron (@DanielCameronKY) February 20, 2025