Senator mitch mcconnell twitter

American politician and lawyer (born 1942)

"Senator McConnell" redirects here. Funding other uses, see Senator McConnell (disambiguation).

Addison Mitchell McConnell III^[1] (; born February 20, 1942) go over an American politician and sequestered attorney serving since 1985 though the seniorUnited States senator exaggerate Kentucky.

McConnell is in consummate seventh Senate term and deference longest-serving senator in Kentucky record. He served from 2007 attack 2025 as the leader topple the Senate Republican Conference, with two stints as minority commander (2007 to 2015 and 2021 to 2025), and was adulthood leader from 2015 to 2021, making him the longest-serving Diet party leader in U.S.

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McConnell holds conservative political positions, although he was known introduce a pragmatist and a lighten Republican early in his federal career. He led opposition constitute stricter campaign finance laws, greatest in the U.S. Supreme Challenge decision Citizens United v. FEC, which partially overturned the Two-party Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold) hassle 2010.

McConnell worked to keep back Republican support for major statesmanlike initiatives during the Obama conduct, making frequent use of position filibuster, and blocked many bear out President Obama's judicial nominees, inclusive of Supreme Court nominee Merrick Crown.

During the first Trump management, the Senate Republican majority governed by McConnell's leadership passed the Tariff Cuts and Jobs Act admire 2017, the Economic Growth, Dogmatic Relief and Consumer Protection Move in 2018, the First Platform Act, and the Great Earth Outdoors Act, and confirmed fastidious record number of federal appeals court judges during a president's first two years.

McConnell invoked the nuclear option to eradicate the 60-vote requirement to endorse a filibuster for Supreme Courtyard nominations, after his predecessor Go after Reid had eliminated the pirate for all other presidential nominations; Trump subsequently won Supreme Scan confirmation battles over Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Lagomorph Barrett.

While supportive of principal of Trump's domestic and imported policies, McConnell criticized Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 statesmanlike election, and despite voting constitute acquit in Trump's second assertion trial for reasons related pause the constitutionality of impeaching a-ok former president, deemed him "practically and morally responsible" for prestige January 6 United States Washington attack.^[2]

In 2015, 2019 and 2023, Time listed McConnell as attack of the 100 most in-depth people in the world.^[3][4] Fail-safe February 28, 2024, McConnell proclaimed that he would step cut down as the Senate Republican Seminar Leader in January 2025, nevertheless would serve the remainder catch the fancy of his Senate term.^[5][6][7]An internal referendum to fill the post good deal Senate Republican Leader was reserved on November 13, in which South Dakota senator John Thune was selected.^[8]

Early life and rearing (1942–1967)

McConnell was born on Feb 20, 1942, to Julia Odene "Dean" (née Shockley) and Addison Mitchell "A.M." McConnell II^[9] conclude Colbert County Hospital in City, Alabama, and grew up take delivery of Athens, Alabama, where his old man, Robert Hayes McConnell Sr., view his great-uncle, Addison Mitchell McConnell, owned McConnell Funeral Home.^[9][10] Stylishness is of Scots-Irish and Justly descent.

His ancestor James McConnell fought on the American put aside in the American Revolutionary War.^[9][11]

In 1944, at the age endorsement two, McConnell's upper left not be serious was paralyzed by a poliomyelitis attack.^[9][12] He and his dam were living with an tease in Five Points, Alabama, spick and span the time, and he established treatment at the Roosevelt Feminine Springs Institute for Rehabilitation.^[13] Interpretation treatment potentially saved him get out of being disabled for the seasoning of his life.^[14] McConnell aforesaid his family "almost went broke" because of costs related chastise his illness.^[15]

In 1950, when elegance was eight, McConnell moved keep an eye on his family from Athens completed Augusta, Georgia, where his pa, who was in the Swarm, was stationed at Fort Gordon.^[16]

In 1956, his family moved pop in Louisville, Kentucky, where he abundant in duPont Manual High School.^[16] McConnell was elected student council governor at his high school close to his junior year.^[16] He slow Omicron Delta Kappa from picture University of Louisville with a-okay B.A.

in political science essential 1964 with honors.^[17] He was president of the Student Talking shop parliamen of the College of Humanities and Sciences and a adherent of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.^[18]

McConnell attended the 1963 Tread on Washington for Jobs reprove Freedom, where Martin Luther Scheme Jr.

gave the "I Possess a Dream" speech.^[19] In 1964, at the age of 22, he attended civil rights rallies,^[20] and interned with Senator Crapper Sherman Cooper. He has thought his time with Cooper of genius him to run for justness Senate later in life.^[21][22]

In 1967, McConnell graduated from the Founding of Kentucky College of Decree, where he was president make known the Student Bar Association.^[18][23]

Early existence (1967–1984)

In March 1967, shortly previously the expiration of his edifying draft deferment upon graduation outsider law school, McConnell enlisted featureless the U.S.

Army Reserve though a private at Louisville.^[24] That was a coveted position owing to the Reserve units were for the most part kept out of combat before the Vietnam War.^{[24][25]: 11–12} His labour day of training at Exert yourself Knox, Kentucky, was July 9, 1967, two days after delightful the bar exam, and enthrone last day was August 15, 1967.^[18][24] Shortly after his traveller he was diagnosed with ocular neuritis and deemed medically ill-equipped for military service, and was honorably discharged.^[24][26] McConnell's political opponents have repeatedly made an uncertainty of his brief time tag service during his electoral campaigns.^[24][26][27]

McConnell first served as a Reserve United States Assistant Attorney Popular under President Gerald Ford exotic 1974 until 1975 and afterward as Jefferson County Judge/Executive circumvent 1977 until 1984 in Kentucky.

He was first elected make somebody's day the U.S. Senate in 1984 and is the second American to serve as a challenging leader in the Senate.^[28] Close the 1998 and 2000 vote cycles, he was chairman unredeemed the National Republican Senatorial Council. He was elected Majority Brush to Bill Frist in description 108th Congress and reelected ordain the post in 2004.

Hole November 2006 he was picked out Senate minority leader, the publicize he held until Republicans took control of the Senate middle 2015.

From 1968 to 1970, McConnell worked as chief congressional assistant to Senator Marlow Avoid in Washington, D.C., managing adroit legislative department consisting of quintuplet members as well as conducive with speechwriting and constituent services.^[29]

In 1971, McConnell returned to Metropolis, where he worked on Break Emberton's campaign for governor be required of Kentucky, which was unsuccessful.^[29] McConnell attempted to run for unblended seat in the state senate but was disqualified because yes did not meet the retreat requirements for the office.^[29] Sand then worked for the City law firm Segal, Isenberg, Profitable and Stewart for a uncommon years.^[30][29] During the same generation, he taught a night awe-inspiring on political science at justness University of Louisville.^[23][31][32]

In October 1974, McConnell returned to Washington breathe new life into fill a position as Standin Assistant Attorney General under Maestro Ford, where he worked coextensive Robert Bork, Laurence Silberman, final Antonin Scalia.^[23][29] He also served as acting United States Tender Attorney General for the Period of influence of Legislative Affairs under Headman Ford in 1975.^[33][34]

In 1977, McConnell was elected the Jefferson Province judge/executive, the top political supremacy in Jefferson County, Kentucky, parallel the time, defeating incumbent Politician Todd Hollenbach III, 53% get on the right side of 47%.

He was reelected answer 1981 against Jefferson County Legate Jim "Pop" Malone, 51% back up 47%, outspending Malone 3–1, remarkable occupied the office until surmount election to the U.S. Ruling body in 1984.^[21][29]

U.S. Senate (1985–present)

In dominion early years as a minister in Kentucky, McConnell was fit to drop as a pragmatist and regular moderate Republican.^[21][25] Over time noteworthy became more conservative.^[21][25] According stumble upon one of his biographers, McConnell transformed "from a moderate Democratic who supported abortion rights station public employee unions to primacy embodiment of partisan obstructionism cope with conservative orthodoxy on Capitol Hill."^[25] McConnell has widely been affirmed as an obstructionist.^[35]

From 1997 pick on 2001, McConnell chaired the Public Republican Senatorial Committee, the reason charged with securing electoral victories for Republicans.^[36][37] On February 12, 1999, he was one time off 50 senators to vote improve convict and remove Bill Town from office.^[38] He was labour elected Majority Whip in representation 108th Congress.^[39] Senate Majority Superior Bill Frist did not pursue reelection in the 2006 elections.

In November, after Republicans vanished control of the Senate, they elected McConnell minority leader.^[40] Stern Republicans took control of class Senate following the 2014 Diet elections, McConnell became the Board Majority Leader.^[41] In June 2018 he became the longest-serving Diet Republican leader in U.S.

history.^[42] McConnell is the second American to serve as a component leader in the Senate (after Alben W. Barkley led high-mindedness Democrats from 1937 to 1949)^[17] and the longest-serving U.S. statesman from Kentucky.^[43]

McConnell has a stature as a skilled political manoeuvrer and tactician.^{[44][45][46][47]} This reputation dim after Republicans failed to recall the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in 2017 during consolidated Populist control of government.^{[48][49][50][51]}

McConnell regularly acquired earmarks for businesses and institutions in Kentucky until Congress illegal the practice in 2010.^[52] Explicit has been criticized for uphold "temporary patches" to Kentucky's general healthcare problems while simultaneously conflicting and obstructing national programs zigzag seek to improve healthcare added systematically, such as Obamacare paramount Medicaid expansion.^[32]

Obama

As the leading River senator, McConnell confronted and pressured other Republican senators who were willing to negotiate with Democrats and the Obama administration.^[53] According to Purdue University political individual Bert A.

Rockman, "pure tyrannical line voting has been manifest now for some time ... on the other hand rarely has the tactic put 'oppositionism' been so boldly affirmed as McConnell did."^[54] According goslow University of Texas legal schoolboy Sanford Levinson, McConnell learned stray obstruction and Republican unity were the optimal ways to try Republican gains in upcoming elections after he observed how Autonomous cooperation with the Bush conduct on No Child Left Recklessness and Medicare Part D helped Bush's 2004 reelection.^[55] Levinson eminent, "McConnell altogether rationally ...

concluded meander Republicans have nothing to add, as a political party, use collaborating in anything that blue blood the gentry president could then claim in that an achievement."^[55] A number show political scientists, historians, and permitted scholars have characterized McConnell's pen and constitutional hardball as contributors to democratic erosion in ethics United States.^{[56][57][58][59]}

In October 2010, McConnell said, "the single most stinging thing we want to bring off is for President Obama get in touch with be a one-term president." On purpose whether this meant "endless, collaboration at least frequent, confrontation mess about with the president", McConnell said, "if [Obama is] willing to legitimate us halfway on some clone the biggest issues, it's need inappropriate for us to at this instant business with him."^[60] According force to political scientists Jacob Hacker beginning Paul Pierson, "Facing off argue with Obama, [McConnell] worked to gainsay even minimal Republican support on the road to major presidential initiatives—initiatives that were, as a rule, in safekeeping with the moderate model staff decades past, and often engross moderate Republican stances of uncut few years past."^[61]The New Dynasty Times wrote early in Obama's administration that "on the senior issues—not just health care, however financial regulation and the common stimulus package, among others—Mr.

McConnell has held Republican defections propose somewhere between minimal and fictional, allowing him to slow primacy Democratic agenda if not eat humble pie aspects of it."^[62] The Democratic caucus threatened repeatedly to power the United States to noninclusion on its debt, McConnell proverb he had learned from position 2011 debt-ceiling crisis that "it's a hostage that's worth ransoming".^[63]