Jump to content

Mitch McConnell

Page semi-protected
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Addison M McConnell)
"Senator McConnell" redirects here. For other uses, see Senator McConnell (disambiguation).

Mitch McConnell
Official portrait, 2016
Senate Minority Leader
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 20, 2021
WhipJohn Thune
Preceded byChuck Schumer
In office
January 3, 2007 – January 3, 2015
Whip
Preceded byHarry Reid
Succeeded byHarry Reid
Senate Majority Leader
In office
January 3, 2015 – January 20, 2021
Whip
  • John Cornyn
  • John Thune
Preceded byHarry Reid
Succeeded byChuck Schumer
Leader of the Senate Republican Conference
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2007
Preceded byBill Frist
Senate Majority Whip
In office
January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
LeaderBill Frist
Preceded byHarry Reid
Succeeded byDick Durbin
Chair of the Senate Rules Committee
In office
January 20, 2001 – June 6, 2001
Preceded byChris Dodd
Succeeded byChris Dodd
In office
January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2001
Preceded byJohn Warner
Succeeded byChris Dodd
United States Senator
from Kentucky
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 1985
Serving with Rand Paul
Preceded byWalter Dee Huddleston
Judge/Executive of Jefferson County
In office
December 1, 1977 – December 21, 1984
Preceded byTodd Hollenbach III
Succeeded byBremer Ehrler
United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs
Acting
February 1, 1975 – June 27, 1975
PresidentGerald Ford
Preceded byVincent Rakestraw
Succeeded byMichael Uhlmann
Personal details
Born
Addison Mitchell McConnell III

(1942-02-20) February 20, 1942 (age 82)
Sheffield, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouses
Sherrill Redmon
​
​
(m. 1968; div. 1980)​
​
(m. 1993)​
Children3
Residence(s)Louisville, Kentucky, U.S.
Education
Signature
WebsiteSenate website
Military service
Branch/service
Years of serviceJuly 9, 1967 – August 15, 1967 (medical separation)
Mitch McConnell's voice
McConnell speaks on Senate bipartisanship in his first speech as Majority Leader
Recorded January 7, 2015

Addison Mitchell McConnell III[1] (/məˈkɒnəl/; born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney who has been serving as senate minority leader since 2021 and the senior United States senator from Kentucky since 1985, the longest-serving senator in Kentucky history. McConnell has been the leader of the Senate Republican Conference since 2007, including as majority leader from 2015 to 2021, making him the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history.

McConnell holds conservative political positions, although he was known as a pragmatist and a moderate Republican early in his political career. He led opposition to stricter campaign finance laws, culminating in the U.S. Supreme Court decision Citizens United v. FEC, which partially overturned the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold) in 2010. McConnell worked to withhold Republican support for major presidential initiatives during the Obama administration, making frequent use of the filibuster, and blocked many of President Obama's judicial nominees, including Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.

During the Trump administration, the Senate Republican majority under McConnell's leadership passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act in 2018, the First Step Act, and the Great American Outdoors Act, and confirmed a record number of federal appeals court judges during a president's first two years. McConnell invoked the nuclear option to eliminate the 60-vote requirement to end a filibuster for Supreme Court nominations, after his predecessor Harry Reid had eliminated the filibuster for all other presidential nominations; Trump subsequently won Supreme Court confirmation battles over Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett. While supportive of most of Trump's domestic and foreign policies, McConnell criticized Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and despite voting to acquit in Trump's second impeachment trial for reasons related to the constitutionality of impeaching a former president, deemed him "practically and morally responsible" for the January 6 United States Capitol attack.[2]

In 2015, 2019 and 2023, Time listed McConnell as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.[3][4] On February 28, 2024, McConnell announced that he would step down as the Senate Republican Conference Leader in January 2025, but would serve the remainder of his Senate term.[5][6][7] An internal election to fill the post of Senate Republican Leader was held on November 13, in which South Dakota senator John Thune was selected.[8]

Early life and education (1942–1967)

McConnell was born on February 20, 1942, to Julia Odene "Dean" (née Shockley) and Addison Mitchell "A.M." McConnell II[9] at Colbert County Hospital in Sheffield, Alabama, and grew up in Athens, Alabama, where his grandfather, Robert Hayes McConnell Sr., and his great-uncle, Addison Mitchell McConnell, owned McConnell Funeral Home.[9][10] He is of Scots-Irish and English descent. His ancestor James McConnell fought on the American side in the American Revolutionary War.[9][11]

McConnell in duPont Manual High School's 1960 yearbook
This article is part of a series about
Mitch McConnell
U.S. Senator from Kentucky
United States Senate

In 1944, at the age of two, McConnell's upper left leg was paralyzed by a polio attack.[9][12] He and his mother were living with an aunt in Five Points, Alabama, at the time, and he received treatment at the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation.[13] The treatment potentially saved him from being disabled for the rest of his life.[14] McConnell said his family "almost went broke" because of costs related to his illness.[15]

In 1950, when he was eight, McConnell moved with his family from Athens to Augusta, Georgia, where his father, who was in the Army, was stationed at Fort Gordon.[16]

In 1956, his family moved to Louisville, Kentucky, where he attended duPont Manual High School.[16] McConnell was elected student council president at his high school during his junior year.[16] He graduated Omicron Delta Kappa from the University of Louisville with a B.A. in political science in 1964 with honors.[17] He was president of the Student Council of the College of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.[18]

McConnell attended the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave the "I Have a Dream" speech.[19] In 1964, at the age of 22, he attended civil rights rallies,[20] and interned with Senator John Sherman Cooper. He has said his time with Cooper inspired him to run for the Senate later in life.[21][22]

In 1967, McConnell graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law, where he was president of the Student Bar Association.[18][23]

Early career (1967–1984)

In March 1967, shortly before the expiration of his educational draft deferment upon graduation from law school, McConnell enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve as a private at Louisville.[24] This was a coveted position because the Reserve units were mostly kept out of combat during the Vietnam War.[24][25]: 11–12  His first day of training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, was July 9, 1967, two days after taking the bar exam, and his last day was August 15, 1967.[18][24] Shortly after his arrival he was diagnosed with optic neuritis and deemed medically unfit for military service, and was honorably discharged.[24][26] McConnell's political opponents have repeatedly made an issue of his brief time in service during his electoral campaigns.[24][26][27]

McConnell first served as a Deputy United States Assistant Attorney General under President Gerald Ford from 1974 until 1975 and then as Jefferson County Judge/Executive from 1977 until 1984 in Kentucky. He was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984 and is the second Kentuckian to serve as a party leader in the Senate.[28] During the 1998 and 2000 election cycles, he was chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He was elected Majority Whip to Bill Frist in the 108th Congress and reelected to the post in 2004. In November 2006 he was elected Senate minority leader, the post he held until Republicans took control of the Senate in 2015.

From 1968 to 1970, McConnell worked as chief legislative assistant to Senator Marlow Cook in Washington, D.C., managing a legislative department consisting of five members as well as assisting with speechwriting and constituent services.[29]

In 1971, McConnell returned to Louisville, where he worked on Tom Emberton's campaign for governor of Kentucky, which was unsuccessful.[29] McConnell attempted to run for a seat in the state legislature but was disqualified because he did not meet the residency requirements for the office.[29] He then worked for the Louisville law firm Segal, Isenberg, Sales and Stewart for a few years.[30][29] During the same period, he taught a night class on political science at the University of Louisville.[23][31][32]

In October 1974, McConnell returned to Washington to fill a position as Deputy Assistant Attorney General under President Ford, where he worked alongside Robert Bork, Laurence Silberman, and Antonin Scalia.[23][29] He also served as acting United States Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs under President Ford in 1975.[33][34]

In 1977, McConnell was elected the Jefferson County judge/executive, the top political office in Jefferson County, Kentucky, at the time, defeating incumbent Democrat Todd Hollenbach III, 53% to 47%. He was reelected in 1981 against Jefferson County Commissioner Jim "Pop" Malone, 51% to 47%, outspending Malone 3–1, and occupied the office until his election to the U.S. Senate in 1984.[21][29]

U.S. Senate (1985–present)

Past official portraits
1985
2001
2006
2009
2011
President Ronald Reagan in a meeting with McConnell in the Oval Office, March 1987
President George H. W. Bush with McConnell and Elaine Chao in February 1991
Mitch McConnell in 1992
President George W. Bush shakes hands with McConnell at Bush's first inauguration, January 2001.

In his early years as a politician in Kentucky, McConnell was known as a pragmatist and a moderate Republican.[21][25] Over time he became more conservative.[21][25] According to one of his biographers, McConnell transformed "from a moderate Republican who supported abortion rights and public employee unions to the embodiment of partisan obstructionism and conservative orthodoxy on Capitol Hill."[25] McConnell has widely been described as an obstructionist.[35]

From 1997 to 2001, McConnell chaired the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the body charged with securing electoral victories for Republicans.[36][37] On February 12, 1999, he was one of 50 senators to vote to convict and remove Bill Clinton from office.[38] He was first elected Majority Whip in the 108th Congress.[39] Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist did not seek reelection in the 2006 elections. In November, after Republicans lost control of the Senate, they elected McConnell minority leader.[40] After Republicans took control of the Senate following the 2014 Senate elections, McConnell became the Senate Majority Leader.[41] In June 2018 he became the longest-serving Senate Republican leader in U.S. history.[42] McConnell is the second Kentuckian to serve as a party leader in the Senate (after Alben W. Barkley led the Democrats from 1937 to 1949)[17] and the longest-serving U.S. senator from Kentucky.[43]

McConnell has a reputation as a skilled political strategist and tactician.[44][45][46][47] This reputation dimmed after Republicans failed to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in 2017 during consolidated Republican control of government.[48][49][50][51]

McConnell regularly obtained earmarks for businesses and institutions in Kentucky until Congress banned the practice in 2010.[52] He has been criticized for funding "temporary patches" to Kentucky's long-term healthcare problems while simultaneously opposing and obstructing national programs that seek to improve healthcare more systematically, such as Obamacare and Medicaid expansion.[32]

Relationships with presidential administrations

This article is part of a series on
Conservatism
in the United States
Schools
Principles
History
Intellectuals
Politicians
Jurists
Commentators
Activists
Literature
Concerns
Parties
Active

Defunct

Think tanks
Media

Newspapers

Journals

TV channels

Websites

Other

Other organizations

Economics

Gun rights

Identity politics

Nativist

Religion

Watchdog groups

Youth/student groups

Miscellaneous

Other

Movements
Related

Obama

As the leading Republican 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 scientist Bert A. Rockman, "pure party line voting has been evident now for some time ... but rarely has the tactic of 'oppositionism' been so boldly stated as McConnell did."[54] According to University of Texas legal scholar Sanford Levinson, McConnell learned that obstruction and Republican unity were the optimal ways to ensure Republican gains in upcoming elections after he observed how Democratic cooperation with the Bush administration on No Child Left Behind and Medicare Part D helped Bush's 2004 reelection.[55] Levinson noted, "McConnell altogether rationally ... concluded that Republicans have nothing to gain, as a political party, from collaborating in anything that the president could then claim as an achievement."[55] A number of political scientists, historians, and legal scholars have characterized McConnell's obstructionism and constitutional hardball as contributors to democratic erosion in the United States.[56][57][58][59]

In October 2010, McConnell said, "the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." Asked whether this meant "endless, or at least frequent, confrontation with the president", McConnell said, "if [Obama is] willing to meet us halfway on some of the biggest issues, it's not inappropriate for us to do business with him."[60] According to political scientists Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson, "Facing off against Obama, [McConnell] worked to deny even minimal Republican support for major presidential initiatives—initiatives that were, as a rule, in keeping with the moderate model of decades past, and often with moderate Republican stances of a few years past."[61] The New York Times wrote early in Obama's administration that "on the major issues—not just health care, but financial regulation and the economic stimulus package, among others—Mr. McConnell has held Republican defections to somewhere between minimal and nonexistent, allowing him to slow the Democratic agenda if not defeat aspects of it."[62] The Republican caucus threatened repeatedly to force the United States to default on its debt, McConnell saying he had learned from the 2011 debt-ceiling crisis that "it's a hostage that's worth ransoming".[63][64]

McConnell worked to delay and obstruct health care reform and banking reform, two of the most notable pieces of legislation that Democrats navigated through Congress early in Obama's tenure.[65][66] Political scientists noted that "by slowing action even on measures supported by many Republicans, McConnell capitalized on the scarcity of floor time, forcing Democratic leaders into difficult trade-offs concerning which measures were worth pursuing. ... Slowing the Senate's ability to process even routine measures limited the sheer volume of liberal bills that could be adopted."[66]

Use of the filibuster

One of McConnell's most common tactics as minority leader to delay or obstruct legislation and judicial appointments was the filibuster. A filibuster is an attempt to "talk a bill to death", forcing Senate leadership to abandon a proposed measure instead of waiting out the filibuster―or at least to delay the measure's passage. In the Senate, any senator may speak for unlimited duration unless a 60-person majority votes to invoke cloture, or end debate, and proceed to a final vote. Political scientists have referred to McConnell's use of the filibuster as "constitutional hardball", referring to the misuse of procedural tools in a way that undermines democracy.[61][64][57][67]

Political scientists Hacker and Pierson describe the rationale behind McConnell's filibusters: "Filibusters left no fingerprints. When voters heard that legislation had been 'defeated', journalists rarely highlighted that this defeat meant a minority had blocked a majority. Not only did this strategy produce an atmosphere of gridlock and dysfunction; it also chewed up the Senate calendar, restricting the range of issues on which Democrats could progress."[61]

In 2013, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid eliminated the filibuster for all presidential nominations except the Supreme Court. By that time, nearly half of all votes to invoke cloture in the history of the Senate had occurred during Obama's presidency.[58] In April 2017, Senate Republicans led by McConnell eliminated the filibuster for Supreme Court nominations in order to end debate on the nomination of Neil Gorsuch.[68][69][70] In August 2019, McConnell wrote an editorial for The New York Times strongly opposing the elimination of the filibuster on legislation.[71]

Trump

Donald Trump, Mike Pence, Paul Ryan, and McConnell celebrate the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, December 2017.

McConnell initially endorsed fellow Kentucky senator Rand Paul for president in 2016. Paul withdrew from the race after the Iowa caucuses, and McConnell endorsed presumptive nominee Donald Trump on May 4, 2016.[72] But McConnell disagreed with Trump on many occasions. In May 2016, after Trump suggested that federal judge Gonzalo P. Curiel was biased against Trump because of his Mexican heritage, McConnell said: "I don't agree with what [Trump] had to say. This is a man who was born in Indiana. All of us came here from somewhere else." In July 2016, after Trump criticized the parents of Humayun Khan, a Muslim-American soldier who was killed in Iraq, McConnell said, "All Americans should value the patriotic service of the patriots who volunteer to selflessly defend us in the armed services." On October 7, 2016, following the Donald Trump Access Hollywood controversy, McConnell said, "As the father of three daughters, I strongly believe that Trump needs to apologize directly to women and girls everywhere, and take full responsibility for the utter lack of respect for women shown in his comments on that tape."[73] In private, McConnell reportedly expresses disdain for Trump[74] and "abhors" his behavior.[75]

In October 2017, White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon and other Trump allies blamed McConnell for stalling the Trump administration's legislation. In response, McConnell cited Neil Gorsuch's confirmation to the Supreme Court to show that the Senate supported Trump's agenda.[76]

After Joe Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election, McConnell at first refused to recognize Biden as the winner.[77][78][79] In his public statements, McConnell did not repeat any of Trump's false claims of voter fraud, but did not contradict them, ignoring questions about evidence and instead arguing that Trump had the right to challenge the results.[78][80][81] At the same time that McConnell refused to recognize Biden, he celebrated Republicans who won their Senate and House races in the same elections.[78][80][82]

On December 15, the day after the electoral college vote, McConnell reversed his stance and publicly acknowledged Biden's win, saying, "Today, I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden."[83] On January 6, during the Electoral College vote count, McConnell spoke out against the efforts of Trump and his allies to overturn the election:

Trump claims the election was stolen. The assertions range from specific local allegations to constitutional arguments to sweeping conspiracy theories ... nothing before us proves illegality anywhere near the massive scale—the massive scale—that would have tipped the entire election. ... If this election were overturned by mere allegations from the losing side, our democracy would enter a death spiral. We'd never see the whole nation accept an election again. Every four years would be a scramble for power at any cost.[84]

Later that day, he described the storming of the Capitol building (which occurred while the Electoral College votes were being counted) as a "failed insurrection" that "tried to disrupt our democracy".[85]

On April 10, 2021, Trump called McConnell a "dumb son of a bitch". Trump added: "I hired his wife. Did he ever say thank you?"[86] Trump has continued to attack McConnell in personal terms since then, but McConnell has not responded publicly.[87][88]

First impeachment
Main article: First impeachment of Donald Trump

On November 5, 2019, as the House of Representatives began public hearings on the impeachment of President Trump, McConnell said, "I'm pretty sure how [an impeachment trial is] likely to end. ... If it were today, I don't think there's any question. It would not lead to a removal."[89]

On December 14, 2019, McConnell met with White House counsel Pat Cipollone and White House legislative affairs director Eric Ueland. Later that day, he said that for Trump's impeachment trial, he would be in "total coordination with the White House counsel's office" and Trump's representatives.[90][91] He also said there was "no chance" the Senate would convict Trump and remove him from office.[92]

On December 17, 2019, McConnell rejected a request to call four witnesses for Trump's impeachment trial because, according to McConnell, the Senate's role was to "act as judge and jury", not to investigate. Later that day, McConnell told the media: "I'm not an impartial juror [in this impeachment trial]. This is a political process. There's not anything judicial about it."[93][94]

After Trump's acquittal, McConnell was noted for his ability to block witnesses, to secure Trump's acquittal, and to maintain party unity during the impeachment process. Commentators noted that he had kept Republican senators "marching in lockstep" throughout the process.[95][96][97]

Second impeachment
Main article: Second impeachment of Donald Trump

On January 12, 2021, it was reported that McConnell supported impeaching Trump for his role in inciting the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol, believing it would make it easier for Republicans to purge the party of Trump and rebuild the party.[98] On January 13, despite having the authority to call for an emergency meeting of the Senate to hold the Senate trial,[failed verification] McConnell did not reconvene the chamber, claiming unanimous consent was required.[99] He called for delaying the Senate trial until after Biden's inauguration.[100] Once the Senate trial started, McConnell voted to acquit Trump on February 13, 2021, saying it was unconstitutional to convict a president who was no longer in office.[101]

The vote to convict was a bipartisan majority (57–43) but not enough to pass the two-thirds threshold.[102] After the vote, McConnell lambasted and condemned Trump in a 20-minute speech on the Senate floor, saying he believed Trump was guilty of everything the House managers alleged.[103][104] He said:

Former President Trump's actions preceding the riot were a disgraceful dereliction of duty ... There is no question that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day ... If President Trump were still in office, I would have carefully considered whether the House managers proved their specific charge.[105]

He explained why he nonetheless voted to acquit: "Article II, Section 4 must have force. It tells us the President, Vice President, and civil officers may be impeached and convicted. Donald Trump is no longer the president. Clearly that mandatory sentence cannot be applied to somebody who has left office. The entire process revolves around removal. If removal becomes impossible, conviction becomes insensible." Yet he said that Trump "didn't get away with anything yet" since Trump would remain subject to the country's criminal and civil laws.[105]

When there was a proposal for an independent commission to investigate the January 6 United States Capitol attack, McConnell sought to organize Republican senators to filibuster it,[106] and on May 28, 2021, he voted against its creation.[107]

Biden

McConnell's relationship with the Biden administration has been portrayed in media as one of comity. Biden has described McConnell as "a friend, colleague and 'man of his word.'" McConnell has praised bipartisan legislation they worked on together, and was the only Republican to attend the 2015 funeral of Biden's son Beau Biden.[108]

In October 2021, McConnell helped pass a bill that extended the debt ceiling. He convinced 11 Republicans to vote with the Democrats for it, without which the United States would have defaulted on its debts.[109]

Judicial nominees

Under Obama

See also: Barack Obama Supreme Court candidates and Barack Obama judicial appointment controversies

Throughout Obama's tenure, McConnell led Senate Republicans in what has been called "a disciplined, sustained, at times underhanded campaign to deny the Democratic president the opportunity to appoint federal judges".[110] In June 2009, after Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor as associate justice, McConnell and Jeff Sessions opined that Sotomayor's 17 years as a federal judge and over 3,600 judicial opinions would require lengthy review and advocated against Democrats hastening the confirmation process.[111] On July 17, McConnell announced that he would vote against Sotomayor's confirmation.[112] In August, McConnell called Sotomayor "a fine person with an impressive story and a distinguished background" but said he did not believe she would withhold her personal or political views while serving as a justice. Sotomayor was confirmed days later.[113]

In May 2010, after President Obama nominated Elena Kagan to succeed the retiring John Paul Stevens, McConnell said in a Senate speech that Americans wanted to make sure Kagan would be independent of influence from White House as an associate justice and noted that Obama called Kagan a friend of his in announcing her nomination.[114] McConnell announced his opposition to Kagan's confirmation, saying she was not forthcoming enough about her "views on basic principles of American constitutional law".[115] Kagan was confirmed the next month.[116]

In 2014, Republicans gained control of the Senate, and McConnell became majority leader; he used his new power to start what was considered "a near blockade" of Obama's judicial appointments. According to The New York Times, Obama's final two years as president saw 18 district court judges and one appeals court judge confirmed, the fewest since President Harry S. Truman. In comparison, the final two years of the presidencies of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan had between 55 and 70 district court judges each confirmed and between 10 and 15 appeals court judges confirmed.[110] The Los Angeles Times wrote that McConnell brought about an "extraordinary two-year slowdown in judicial confirmations", detailing 22 confirmations of Obama's judicial nominees, the lowest since Truman in 1951–1952. The number of federal judicial vacancies at the end of Obama's term was more than twice the number at the end of George W. Bush's term.[117][118] In a 2019 interview, McConnell credited himself for the large number of judicial vacancies created in the last two years of Obama's presidency.[90]

On February 13, 2016, Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia died.[119] Shortly thereafter, McConnell issued a statement indicating that the Senate would not consider any Supreme Court nominee Obama put forth.[22][120] "The American people should have a voice in the selection of their next Supreme Court justice. Therefore, this vacancy should not be filled until we have a new president", McConnell said.[120] On March 16, 2016, Obama nominated Merrick Garland, a Judge of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, to the Supreme Court.[121] Under McConnell's direction, Senate Republicans refused to take any action on the nomination.[122] Garland's nomination expired on January 3, 2017, with the end of the 114th Congress.[123]

In an August 2016 speech in Kentucky, McConnell said, "one of my proudest moments was when I looked Barack Obama in the eye and I said, 'Mr. President, you will not fill the Supreme Court vacancy.'"[124][125] In April 2018, McConnell said the decision not to act on Garland's nomination was "the most consequential decision I've made in my entire public career".[126] Political scientists and legal scholars called McConnell's refusal to hold Senate hearings on Garland "unprecedented",[127][128] a "culmination of [his] confrontational style",[129] a "blatant abuse of constitutional norms",[59] and a "classic example of constitutional hardball".[64]

Under Trump

See also: Donald Trump Supreme Court candidates and Donald Trump judicial appointment controversies

In January 2017, President Trump nominated Neil Gorsuch to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left after Scalia's death.[130] Gorsuch's nomination was confirmed on April 7, 2017, after McConnell eliminated the filibuster on Supreme Court nominees.[131]

On July 18, 2018, with Andy Oldham's Senate confirmation, Senate Republicans broke a record for largest number of appeals court judiciary confirmations during a president's first two years; Oldham became the 23rd appeals court judge confirmed in Trump's term.[132] McConnell said he considers the judiciary to be the item of Trump's first two years with the longest-lasting impact on the country. The record for the number of circuit court judges confirmed during a president's first year was broken in 2017, while the previous two-year record of 22 confirmations took place under President George H. W. Bush.[133] By March 2020, McConnell had contacted an unknown number of judges, encouraging them to retire before the 2020 election.[134][135] He confirmed 260 federal judges during Trump's four-year term, shifting the federal judiciary to the right.

McConnell (left) with then-Judge Brett Kavanaugh (middle), the nominee to replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, and vice president Mike Pence, 2018

In July 2018, Trump nominated Brett Kavanaugh to replace the retiring Anthony Kennedy as an associate justice of the Supreme Court. McConnell accused Democrats of creating an "extreme" distortion of Kavanaugh's record during his hearings.[136] In September 2018, Christine Blasey Ford publicly alleged that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her in 1982. After it was reported that Democrats were investigating a second allegation against Kavanaugh, McConnell said, "I want to make it perfectly clear. ... Judge Kavanaugh will be voted on here on the Senate floor."[137] Kavanaugh was confirmed on October 6.[138][139] McConnell said the confirmation process was a low point for the Senate, but also downplayed reports of dysfunction in the Senate; he said claims that the Senate was "somehow broken over this [were] simply inaccurate".[140]

In October 2018, McConnell said if a Supreme Court vacancy were to occur in 2020, he would not repeat his 2016 decision to let the winner of the upcoming presidential election nominate a justice. He argued that because in 2016 the Senate was controlled by a party other than the president's, the 2016 precedent was not applicable in 2020, when Republicans controlled both the presidency and Senate.[141] In September 2020, after Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, he announced the Senate would vote on Trump's nominated replacement.[142] On October 23, McConnell set in place the Senate debate on the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett to fill Ginsburg's seat. Barrett was confirmed on October 26.[143]

Government shutdowns

The federal government shut down on October 1–17, 2013, after Congress failed to enact legislation to fund it. McConnell later vowed Republicans would not force the U.S. to default on its debt or shut down the government in 2014, when stopgap funding measures were set to expire. He also said he would not allow other Republicans to obstruct the budget-making process.[144][145]

In July 2018, McConnell said funding for the Mexico–United States border wall would likely have to wait until the midterms had concluded. Trump tweeted two days later that he was willing to allow a government shutdown to get funding.[146] Several spending bills were approved that August; the approvals were seen as a victory for McConnell in his attempts to prevent another government shutdown.[147]

Shutdown of 2018–2019

From December 22, 2018, until January 25, 2019, the federal government shut down when Congress refused to give in to Trump's demand for $5.7 billion in federal funds for a U.S.–Mexico border wall.[148] In December 2018, the Republican-controlled Senate unanimously passed an appropriations bill without wall funding, and the Republican-controlled House of Representatives and Trump appeared likely to approve the bill. After Trump faced heavy criticism from some right-wing media outlets and pundits for appearing to back down on his campaign promise to "build the wall", he said he would not sign any appropriations bill that did not fund the wall.[149]

During this shutdown, McConnell blocked the Senate from voting on appropriations legislation and said it was not his place to mediate between the Senate and Trump.[150][151][152] Privately, McConnell had advised Trump against initiating the shutdown.[22] Democrats criticized McConnell for not putting appropriations legislation up for a vote, noting that the Republican-controlled Senate had unanimously passed an appropriations bill without wall funding and that the Senate could override Trump's veto.[150][151][152]

By January 23, McConnell had blocked four Senate bills to reopen the government and a bill funding the Homeland Security Department through February 8. He called for Democrats to support a Trump administration-backed measure that included $5.7 billion in wall funding, together with a temporary extension of protections for DACA recipients, a Democratic priority.[153] Privately, other Republican senators pressured McConnell to stop blocking appropriations legislation.[154][155]

The shutdown ended on January 25, when Trump signed a three-week funding measure reopening the government until February 15 without funds for a border wall.[156] This was the longest government shutdown in American history.[22][157]

COVID-19 response

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, McConnell initially opposed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, calling it a Democratic "ideological wish list".[158][159] He reversed his position when Trump endorsed the proposed package.[160] The bill passed in the Senate by a vote of 90–8.

McConnell also directed Senate Republicans in negotiations for two other COVID-19 response packages: the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 and the CARES Act. The CARES Act was the largest economic stimulus package in U.S. history,[161] amounting to 10% of total U.S. gross domestic product.[162] It passed both houses of Congress with bipartisan support.[163]

Speaking on the Hugh Hewitt radio show on April 22, 2020, McConnell suggested that states should be able to declare bankruptcy instead of receiving additional COVID-19 aid funds—funds he implied would be used to save insolvent state pension funds instead of for COVID-19 relief. His comments were sharply criticized by various state and local officials. States cannot declare bankruptcy.[164]

After the CARES Act passed, McConnell waited several months before advancing any additional COVID-19 relief measures in the Senate, saying in May, "I don't think we have yet felt the urgency of acting immediately" and that Congress should "[hit] pause" to evaluate how the allocated funds were working before approving more.[165] He was absent from negotiations between congressional Democrats and White House officials for an additional aid package.[166][167][168]

On September 10, 2020, a pared-down COVID-19 relief bill crafted by McConnell failed to pass the Senate because of a Democratic filibuster.[169] Democrats called the bill "completely inadequate" given the scope of the COVID-19 crisis[170] and a partisan maneuver to help Republican senators up for reelection.[171] McConnell called the bill a choice between "do[ing] something" and "do[ing] nothing",[172] and said he was holding the procedural vote to get lawmakers on the record about their willingness to compromise on COVID-19 legislation.[173]

Approval ratings

As the leader of the Senate Republicans, McConnell has received much of the criticism and disapproval that Republicans receive from Democratic voters, receiving near uniform disapproval from left-of-center voters. Furthermore, as a result of his unpopularity with Trump and the more populist base, McConnell has had historically low approval for a senator by the electorate as a whole: a 2012 poll and a 2016 poll each found that McConnell had the lowest home-state approval rating of any sitting senator.[174][175] With a 49% disapproval rate in 2017, McConnell had the highest disapproval rating of any senator.[176]

Senator Mitch McConnell in Kentucky on October 30, 2024.

In September 2019, the Morning Consult found that McConnell's approval rating had been underwater since the first quarter of 2017, when it was 44% positive and 47% negative. The worst rating since that time was in the fourth quarter of 2018, when he had a 38% positive rating and a 47% negative rating among Kentuckians.[177] At that time he was briefly not the least popular senator, surpassed by Claire McCaskill and Jeff Flake.[178] But as of the second quarter of 2019, McConnell's ratings were 36% positive and 50% negative. He netted −56 among Democrats, +29 among Republicans, and −24 among Independents.[177] An average of polls by the Economist/YouGov, Politico/Morning Consult, and Harvard-Harris from the end of July through August 2019 (7/31–8/27), was 23% favorable and 48% unfavorable (−25.0 spread).[179]

In 2020, according to Morning Consult, Susan Collins edged out McConnell as the least popular senator with a 52% unfavorable rating from Maine voters compared to 50% for McConnell.[180]

Committee assignments

McConnell's committee assignments for the 118th Congress are as follows:[181]

Political positions

Main article: Political positions of Mitch McConnell

McConnell has taken conservative stances for the past several decades. During his Senate tenure, McConnell led opposition to stricter campaign finance laws,[182] culminating in the Supreme Court ruling that partially overturned the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold) in 2010. He led opposition against Obamacare,[183] first through efforts to delay or prevent the law's passage, and later to repeal or replace it, including via the American Healthcare Reform Act. McConnell has opposed stronger regulations, gun control measures and efforts to mitigate climate change. He has criticized proposed legislation by House Democrats such as the Green New Deal and Medicare for All,[184] and was criticized by Nancy Pelosi for withholding votes on measures passed by the Democratic-controlled House during his time as Senate Majority Leader, including the For the People Act of 2019, the Equality Act and the Paycheck Fairness Act.[185] McConnell has supported stronger border security, free trade agreements and reductions in taxes. As Senate Majority Leader, he led the passing of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 and the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act in 2018. His foreign policy views have included support of sanctions on Cuba, Iran and Russia,[186] support of Ukraine during its invasion by Russia,[187] opposition to the Iran nuclear deal and support of Israel in its war with Hamas.[188] He voted for the Iraq Resolution, which authorized military action against Iraq,[189] and supported the Iraq War troop surge of 2007 in public.[190]

Earlier in his political career, during the 1960s and 1970s, McConnell held moderate stances, including support of abortions, support of unions, and support of the civil rights movement.[191] Following the Supreme Court's ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, McConnell expressed his opposition to same-sex marriage stating “I’ve always felt that marriage is between one man and one woman and the Supreme Court has held otherwise. That’s the law of the land.”[192]

Electoral history

Year Office Type Party Main opponent Party Votes for McConnell Result Swing
Total % P. ±%
1984 Senator Primary Republican C. Roger Harker Republican 39,465 79.22% 1st N/A Won N/A
General Walter Dee Huddleston (I) Democratic 644,990 49.90% 1st +13.03% Won Gain
1990 Primary Republican Tommy Klein Republican 64,063 88.52% 1st +9.30% Won N/A
General Harvey I. Sloane Democratic 478,034 52.19% 1st +2.28% Won Hold
1996 Primary Republican Tommy Klein Republican 88,620 88.59% 1st +0.07% Won N/A
General Steve Beshear Democratic 724,794 55.45% 1st +3.27% Won Hold
2002 General Republican Lois Combs Weinberg Democratic 731,679 64.68% 1st +9.22% Won Hold
2008 Primary Republican Daniel Essek Republican 168,127 86.09% 1st −2.50% Won N/A
General Bruce Lunsford Democratic 953,816 52.97% 1st −11.7% Won Hold
2014 Primary Republican Matt Bevin Republican 213,753 60.19% 1st −25.9% Won N/A
General Alison Lundergan Grimes Democratic 806,787 56.19% 1st +3.22% Won Hold
2020 Primary Republican Wesley Morgan Republican 342,660 82.80% 1st +22.61 Won N/A
General Amy McGrath Democratic 1,233,315 57.76% 1st +1.57% Won Hold

1984

Main article: 1984 United States Senate election in Kentucky

In 1984, McConnell ran for the U.S. Senate against two-term Democratic incumbent Walter Dee Huddleston. The election race was not decided until the last returns came in, when McConnell won by 3,437 votes out of more than 1.2 million votes cast, just over 0.4%.[193] McConnell was the only Republican Senate challenger to win that year, despite Ronald Reagan's landslide victory in the presidential election.[194]

McConnell's campaign was noted for a series of television campaign spots called "Where's Dee", which featured a group of bloodhounds trying to find Huddleston,[195][better source needed][196] implying that Huddleston's attendance record in the Senate was poor.[197][198] He was the first Republican to win a statewide election in Kentucky since 1968, and benefited from the popularity of President Ronald Reagan, up for re-election, who was supported by 60% of Kentucky voters in the same year.[44]

1990

Main article: 1990 United States Senate election in Kentucky

In 1990, McConnell faced former Louisville Mayor Harvey I. Sloane, winning by 4.4%.[199]

1996

Main article: 1996 United States Senate election in Kentucky

In 1996, he defeated Steve Beshear by 12.6%,[200] even as Bill Clinton narrowly carried the state. McConnell's campaign ran television ads warning voters to not "Get BeSheared" and included images of sheep being sheared.[198]

2002

Main article: 2002 United States Senate election in Kentucky

In 2002, he was unopposed in the Republican primary. He then defeated Lois Combs Weinberg by 29.4%.[201]

2008

Main article: 2008 United States Senate election in Kentucky

In 2008, McConnell faced his closest contest since 1990. He defeated Bruce Lunsford by 6%.[23]

2014

Main article: 2014 United States Senate election in Kentucky

In 2014, McConnell faced Louisville businessman Matt Bevin in the Republican primary.[202] The 60.2% won by McConnell was the lowest voter support for a Kentucky U.S. senator in a primary since 1938.[203] He faced Democratic Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes in the general election, and defeated Grimes, 56.2–40.7%.[204][205]

2020

Main article: 2020 United States Senate election in Kentucky

In the November 2020 general election, McConnell faced Democratic nominee Amy McGrath, a former Marine fighter pilot; and Libertarian nominee Brad Barron, a businessman and farmer.[206][207] During the campaign, McConnell and McGrath agreed to one hour-long, socially distanced debate on October 12.[208][209] McConnell was elected to his seventh term on November 3 when he defeated McGrath by nearly 20 percentage points.[210]

Personal life

McConnell and his wife, Elaine Chao, January 2019

Family

McConnell is a Southern Baptist, baptized at age 8.[211] He was married to his first wife, Sherrill Redmon, from 1968 to 1980 and had three daughters, Porter, Eleanor (Elly), and Claire.[212][213][214] Porter McConnell is the campaign director for Take on Wall Street, a left-wing advocacy coalition.[215][216] Following her divorce from McConnell, Redmon became a feminist scholar at Smith College and director of the Sophia Smith Collection.[217][218]

McConnell's second wife, whom he married in 1993, is Elaine Chao, Secretary of Labor under President George W. Bush and Secretary of Transportation under President Donald Trump.[219]

In May 2019, McConnell's brother-in-law Gordon Hartogensis, who is married to Chao's sister Grace, was confirmed by the U.S. Senate as director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), a part of the Labor Department.[220][221][222] McConnell voted to confirm.[223]

Health

In February 2003, McConnell underwent a triple heart bypass surgery in relation to blocked arteries, at the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland.[224]

In August 2019, McConnell suffered a fall at his Louisville home; he fractured his shoulder.[225] In March 2023, he was hospitalized for five days after a fall; he was treated for a concussion and a minor rib fracture,[226] and did not return to the Senate for almost six weeks.[227] In July 2023, he fell while disembarking from a plane at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.[228]

On July 26, 2023, McConnell prompted worldwide media reports when he froze, unspeaking, for around 20 seconds while addressing a press conference.[229] He was escorted away by aides, but later returned and said he was "fine".[230] Two days after the incident, his spokespersons said that McConnell would continue in his leadership role; he is the institution's longest-serving party leader.[231] On August 30, 2023, he again froze during a press conference in Covington, Kentucky and was eventually led away by staff.[232] A day later, McConnell released a letter from the attending physician of Congress that said that he was "medically clear" to continue his schedule as planned;[233] the letter said that the physician had talked to McConnell and "conferred with his neurology team", but did not indicate that he had physically examined McConnell.[234]

Other

In 1997, McConnell founded the James Madison Center for Free Speech, a legal-defense organization based in Washington, D.C.[235][236] He was inducted into the Sons of the American Revolution on March 1, 2013.[237] He is on the Board of Selectors of Jefferson Awards for Public Service.[238]

In 2018, the OpenSecrets website ranked McConnell one of the wealthiest members of the U.S. Senate, with a net worth of more than $25 million.[239] His personal wealth grew in 2008, when he and his wife received a gift worth about $5 million to about $25 million from her father, James S. C. Chao, after the death of his wife.[240]

McConnell's detractors have called him by a number of nicknames, including "Moscow Mitch",[241] "Cocaine Mitch",[241] the "Grim Reaper",[184] "Darth Vader",[242] "Rich Mitch",[243] "Nuclear Mitch",[242] "Midnight Mitch",[244] and "Old Crow".[245] McConnell embraces several of them, but he has objected strenuously to "Moscow Mitch".[241][246]

Jon Stewart repeatedly mocked McConnell on The Daily Show for resembling a turtle or tortoise.[247][248] McConnell has been portrayed by Beck Bennett in sketches on Saturday Night Live.[249] In 2017, McConnell was portrayed satirically in South Park's season 21 episode "Doubling Down".[250]

During the 2014 election campaign, McConnell was lampooned for posting campaign B-roll footage online for use by allied PACs. Various Internet posters satirically interspersed the B-roll with footage from sitcoms and movies and with popular music. The practice of posting B-roll footage online for use by PACs or of lampooning the B-roll was termed "McConnelling".[251][252][253]

In 2015, 2019, and 2023, Time listed McConnell as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.[3][4][254]

See also

References

  1. ^ McConnell, Mitch (2016). "Chapter One: A fighting spirit". The Long Game: a Memoir. New York, NY: Sentinel. p. 9. ISBN 9780399564123. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020. ...my mother graduated from Wadley High School in 1937. Soon after graduation, she found her way out of rural Alabama and into Birmingham...It was here that she met A.M. McConnell II.
  2. ^ "McConnell says Trump was "practically and morally responsible" for riot after voting not guilty". cbsnews.com. February 14, 2021. Archived from the original on February 16, 2021. Retrieved May 12, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Boehner, John (April 16, 2015). "Mitch McConnell". Time. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Mitch McConnell: The 100 Most Influential People of 2019". Time. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  5. ^ Tackett, Michael (February 28, 2024). "McConnell will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November after a record run in the job". Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  6. ^ Mangan, Dan (February 28, 2024). "Mitch McConnell to step down as Republican Senate leader in November: Report". CNBC. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  7. ^ Hughes, Siobhan (February 28, 2024). "Mitch McConnell to Step Down as Senate Minority Leader in November". The Wall Street Journal. News Corp. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  8. ^ Jalonick and Groves, Mary Clare and Stephen (November 13, 2024). "Republican John Thune of South Dakota is elected the next Senate majority leader". Associated Press. Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d McConnell, Mitch (2016). "Chapter One: A fighting spirit". The Long Game: a Memoir. New York, NY: Sentinel. p. 9. ISBN 9780399564123. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020. She'd been known her whole life not by her first name, Julia, which she loved, but by her middle name, Odene, which she detested. So in Birmingham she began to call herself Dean, and with no thought of ever returning to Wadley ... James McConnell, from County Down, Ireland, who came to this country as a young boy in the 1760s, went on to fight for the colonies in the American Revolution.
  10. ^ "Fact of the Week". The Tuscaloosa News. July 16, 2000. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  11. ^ Middleton, Karen (December 28, 2014). "Athens native Sen. Mitch McConnell looking forward to busy opening session". The News Courier. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved January 4, 2019. McConnell said that his original American ancestor emigrated from County Down, Ireland, to North Carolina. Alt URL
  12. ^ Phillips, Kristine (June 27, 2017). "No, the government did not pay for Mitch McConnell's polio care. Charity did". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on July 6, 2019. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  13. ^ Fader, Carole (July 22, 2017). "Fact Check: Did U.S. pay for McConnell's polio treatment?". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  14. ^ "Mitch McConnell on Trump and divisiveness in politics". CBS News. May 29, 2016. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2017.
  15. ^ Hicks, Jesse (June 26, 2017). "In 1990, Mitch McConnell Supported Affordable Healthcare for All". vice.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved July 4, 2017.
  16. ^ a b c McConnell, Mitch (2016). "Chapter Two: From Baseball to Politics". The Long Game: a Memoir. Penguin. p. 15. ISBN 9780399564123. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  17. ^ a b "Biography – About – U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell". Mitch McConnell; Republican Leader. U.S. Senator for Kentucky. mcconnell.senate.gov. January 3, 1985. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  18. ^ a b c McConnell, Mitch (2016). "Chapter Three: Seeing greatness.". The Long Game: a Memoir. Penguin. p. 26. ISBN 9780399564123. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  19. ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (July 10, 2015). "Mitch McConnell's Commitment to Civil Rights Sets Him Apart". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 21, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2020.
  20. ^ Chotiner, Isaac (May 15, 2013). "How Mitch McConnell Enabled Barack Obama". The New Republic. Archived from the original on July 12, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  21. ^ a b c d Martin, Jonathan (August 27, 2014). "Mitch McConnell Is Headed Down the Stretch". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on May 11, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  22. ^ a b c d Homans, Charles (January 22, 2019). "Mitch McConnell Got Everything He Wanted. But at What Cost?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  23. ^ a b c d "National Journal Almanac 2008". Nationaljournal.com. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  24. ^ a b c d e Cheves, John (October 23, 2008). "McConnell opens military record". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  25. ^ a b c d MacGillis, Alec (2014). The Cynic: The Political Education of Mitch McConnell. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-5011-1203-4.
  26. ^ a b Weiser, Carl (September 23, 2002). "Military service rare on delegation". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Archived from the original on May 29, 2012. Retrieved February 3, 2015. Alt URL
  27. ^ Although McConnell has allowed reporters to examine parts of his military record and take notes, he has refused to allow copies to be made or to disclose his entire record, despite calls by his opponents to do so. His time in service has also been the subject of criticism because his discharge was accelerated after his father placed a call to Senator John Sherman Cooper, who then sent a wire to the commanding general at Fort Knox advising that "Mitchell [is] anxious to clear post in order to enroll in New York University (NYU)". He was allowed to leave post just five days later, though McConnell maintains that no one helped him with his enlistment into or discharge from the reserves. According to McConnell, he struggled through the exercises at basic training and was sent to a doctor for a physical examination, which revealed McConnell's optic neuritis. McConnell did not attend NYU.Cheves, John (October 23, 2008). "McConnell opens military record". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  28. ^ "About Mitch McConnell | Republican Leader". Republican Leader. Archived from the original on January 5, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  29. ^ a b c d e f McConnell, Mitch (May 31, 2016). "Chapter Four: You can start too late, but never too soon". The Long Game: a Memoir. Penguin. p. 40. ISBN 9780399564123. Archived from the original on August 6, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  30. ^ "Nomination of Justice William Hubbs Rehnquist" (PDF). Library of Congress. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 9, 2017. Retrieved June 6, 2021.
  31. ^ Cheves, John (October 15, 2006). "Senator's pet issue: money and the power it buys". Lexington Herald-Leader. Archived from the original on October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  32. ^ a b Cherkis, Jason; Carter, Zach (July 11, 2013). "Mitch McConnell's 30-Year Senate Legacy Leaves Kentucky In The Lurch". HuffPost. Archived from the original on January 5, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  33. ^ "Ford Picks Thornburgh to Head Criminal Division". The New York Times. May 24, 1975. Archived from the original on June 9, 2022. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  34. ^ "Register, Department of Justice and the Courts of the United States". 1972. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  35. ^ Multiple sources:
  36. ^ "Senatorial Campaign Committee Chairs". United States Senate. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 8, 2019.
  37. ^ Dwyre, Diana; Farrar-Myers, Victoria A. (2001). Legislative labyrinth. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press. p. 35. ISBN 978-1568025681.
  38. ^ "Roll Call of Votes on Articles of Impeachment". The New York Times. Associated Press. February 12, 1999. Archived from the original on January 6, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  39. ^ Tillett, Emily (June 12, 2018). "Mitch McConnell becomes longest-serving Republican leader in history of Senate". cbsnews.com. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  40. ^ "McConnell Is Senate's New Top Republican". NPR.org. November 16, 2006. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  41. ^ Carroll, James R. "McConnell takes the reins as Senate majority leader". USA Today. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  42. ^ Barrett, Ted (June 12, 2018). "Mitch McConnell makes Senate history as longest-serving Republican leader". CNN. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  43. ^ "McConnell becomes longest-serving senator from Kentucky". LaRue County (Kentucky) Herald Tribune. January 14, 2009. Archived from the original on March 2, 2013. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  44. ^ a b Costa, Robert (2013). "Master of the Senate: Mitchell McConnell gets the job done". In Stinebrickner, Bruce (ed.). American Government 12/13 (42nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. pp. 100–103. ISBN 978-0-07-8051135.
  45. ^ Green, Joshua (January 4, 2011). "Strict Obstructionist". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  46. ^ "The new master of the Senate?". The Economist. October 30, 2014. Archived from the original on March 1, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  47. ^ Mukunda, Gautam (February 23, 2017). "If Democrats Want to Challenge Trump, They Need a New Strategy". Harvard Business Review. Archived from the original on October 7, 2018. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  48. ^ Steinhauer, Jennifer (June 27, 2017). "McConnell's Reputation as a Master Tactician Takes a Hit". The New York Times. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved June 28, 2017.
  49. ^ Cowan, Richard (July 18, 2017). "Mitch McConnell: 'The man in the middle' of U.S. healthcare war". Reuters. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  50. ^ Jentleson, Adam (September 28, 2017). "The Myth of Mitch McConnell, Political Super-Genius". Politico Magazine. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  51. ^ Berman, Russell (August 9, 2017). "Mitch McConnell, Under Siege". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  52. ^ Bresnahan, John (March 10, 2014). "McConnell slammed for earmarks". Politico. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  53. ^ Jacobs, Lawrence; Skocpol, Theda (2016). Health Care Reform and American Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know (Third ed.). Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 85–86, 195. ISBN 9780190262044. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  54. ^ Rockman, Bert A. (October 10, 2012). "The Obama Presidency: Hope, Change, and Reality". Social Science Quarterly. 93 (5): 1065–1080. doi:10.1111/j.1540-6237.2012.00921.x. ISSN 0038-4941.
  55. ^ a b Levinson, Sanford (2012). Framed: America's 51 Constitutions and the Crisis of Governance. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press. p. 234. ISBN 9780199890750. Archived from the original on October 10, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  56. ^ Multiple sources:
  57. ^ a b Levitsky, Steven; Ziblatt, Daniel (2018). "How Democracies Die". Penguin Randomhouse. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  58. ^ a b E.J. Dionne Jr.; Norm Ornstein; Thomas E. Mann (September 19, 2017). "How the GOP Prompted the Decay of Political Norms". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on October 8, 2018. Retrieved October 8, 2018.
  59. ^ a b Mounk, Yascha (2018). The People vs. Democracy. Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674976825. Archived from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  60. ^ Kessler, Glenn (September 25, 2012). "When did McConnell say he wanted to make Obama a 'one-term president'?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 22, 2014. Retrieved September 14, 2014.
  61. ^ a b c Hacker, Jacob; Pierson, Paul (2017). American Amnesia. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781451667837. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  62. ^ Nagourney, Carl Hulse and Adam (March 17, 2010). "McConnell Strategy Shuns Bipartisanship". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  63. ^ Kruse, Kevin; Zelizer, Julian (2019). Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974. W.W. Norton. Archived from the original on January 14, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  64. ^ a b c Fishkin, Joseph; Pozen, David E. (2018). "Asymmetric Constitutional Hardball". Columbia Law Review. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019.
  65. ^ Koger, Gregory (2016). Party and Procedure in the United States Congress, Second Edition. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 223. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  66. ^ a b Schickler, Eric; Wawro, Gregory J. (January 3, 2011). "What the Filibuster Tells Us About the Senate". The Forum. 9 (4). doi:10.2202/1540-8884.1483. ISSN 1540-8884. S2CID 144114653.
  67. ^ Glassman, Matt (2018). "Republicans in Wisconsin and Michigan want to weaken incoming Democratic governors. Here's what's the usual partisan politics – and what isn't". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  68. ^ Timm, Jane C. (June 28, 2018). "McConnell went 'nuclear' to confirm Gorsuch. But Democrats changed Senate filibuster rules first". NBC News. Archived from the original on December 12, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  69. ^ Berger, Judson (April 6, 2017). "Republicans go 'nuclear,' bust through Democratic filibuster on Gorsuch". Fox News. Archived from the original on August 4, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  70. ^ Rogin, Ali (April 6, 2017). "Senate approves 'nuclear option,' clears path for Neil Gorsuch Supreme Court nomination vote". ABC News. Archived from the original on August 4, 2019. Retrieved December 27, 2018.
  71. ^ McConnell, Mitch (August 22, 2019). "Mitch McConnell: The Filibuster Plays a Crucial Role in Our Constitutional Order". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 3, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  72. ^ Bradner, Eric (May 5, 2016). "McConnell 'committed to supporting' Trump". CNN. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  73. ^ Buchanan, Larry; Parlapiano, Alicia; Yourish, Karen (October 8, 2016). "Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell Reject Donald Trump's Words, Over and Over, but Not His Candidacy". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  74. ^ Mayer, Jane (April 12, 2020). "How Mitch McConnell Became Trump's Enabler-In-Chief". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  75. ^ Mennel, Eric; McEvers, Kelly; Dreisbach, Tom (July 11, 2019). "'You May Need The Money More Than I Do': McConnell Once Returned Trump's Donation". npr.org. Archived from the original on August 23, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  76. ^ Uria, Daniel (October 22, 2017). "Mitch McConnell fires back at criticism against GOP". UPI. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  77. ^ Watkins, Morgan. "In Senate speech, Mitch McConnell again won't acknowledge Joe Biden's victory over Trump". The Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on March 18, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  78. ^ a b c Cochrane, Emily; Fandos, Nicholas (November 9, 2020). "President-Elect Joe Biden's Transition: Live Updates as McConnell Backs Trump's Refusal to Concede". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 9, 2020.
  79. ^ Swanson, Ian (November 9, 2020). "McConnell declines in floor speech to congratulate Biden as president-elect". The Hill. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  80. ^ a b "McConnell-led Republicans hold steady against Trump concession". Politico. November 9, 2020. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  81. ^ Shepherd, Katie. "GOP splits over Trump's false election claims, unfounded fraud allegations". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on November 16, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020 – via www.washingtonpost.com.
  82. ^ Axios (November 9, 2020). "McConnell defends Trump's refusal to concede to Biden". Axios. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
  83. ^ "McConnell for the first time recognizes Biden as President-elect". CNN. December 15, 2020. Archived from the original on December 15, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2020.
  84. ^ Phillips, Amber (January 6, 2021). "Analysis | Mitch McConnell's forceful rejection of Trump's election 'conspiracy theories'". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  85. ^ Fandos, Nicholas; Cochrane, Emily; Sullivan, Eileen; Thrush, Glenn; Kanno-Youngs, Zolan; Martin, Jonathan (January 6, 2021). "Resuming electoral counting, McConnell condemns the mob assault on the Capitol as a 'failed insurrection.'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 7, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  86. ^ Dawsey, Josh. "Trump slashes at McConnell as he reiterates election falsehoods at Republican event". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
  87. ^ "Trump blames election loss on "suppression polling," attacks Pence and "pathetic" McConnell". Newsweek. May 15, 2021. Archived from the original on May 18, 2021. Retrieved May 18, 2021.
  88. ^ Paul Cantanese, McClatchy reporter. (December 21, 2021). "If you can't beat him, ignore him. How McConnell survived a year of Trump's attacks". Lexington Herald-Leader website Archived December 24, 2021, at the Wayback Machine Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  89. ^ Levine, Marianne (November 5, 2019). "McConnell says Senate would acquit Trump if trial held today". Politico. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  90. ^ a b Blake, Aaron (December 14, 2019). "McConnell indicates he'll let Trump's lawyers dictate Trump's impeachment trial". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 19, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  91. ^ Carney, Jordain (December 12, 2019). "McConnell says he'll be in 'total coordination' with White House on impeachment trial strategy". The Hill. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  92. ^ Egan, Lauren (December 13, 2019). "McConnell: 'There's no chance' Trump is removed from office". Archived from the original on December 15, 2019. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  93. ^ Coogan, Steve (December 17, 2019). "Trump impeachment debate". USA Today. Archived from the original on December 20, 2019. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  94. ^ Morgan, David; Cornwell, Susan (December 17, 2019). "On eve of expected impeachment, Trump lashes out at Pelosi, Democrats". Reuters. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  95. ^ Bolton, Alexander (February 7, 2020). "McConnell displays mastery of Senate with impeachment victory". The Hill. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  96. ^ Cillizza, Chris (January 31, 2020). "How Mitch McConnell pulled off a near-impossible impeachment feat". CNN. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  97. ^ Fritze, John; Wu, Nicholas; Jackson, David. "Charm, patience and Twitter tactics: How Trump, McConnell kept GOP in line on impeachment". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 18, 2020. Retrieved February 18, 2020.
  98. ^ Martin, Jonathan; Haberman, Maggie (January 12, 2021). "McConnell is said to be pleased about impeachment, believing it will be easier to purge Trump from the G.O.P.". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 12, 2021. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  99. ^ Bolton, Alexander (January 13, 2021). "McConnell won't agree to reconvene Senate early for impeachment trial". The Hill. Capitol Hill Publishing Corp. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  100. ^ Watkins, Morgan. "In Senate vote, McConnell opposes Trump impeachment trial's constitutionality". The Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on January 29, 2024. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  101. ^ Berman, Ari. "Mitch McConnell delayed Trump's impeachment trial. Now he says the delay makes it unconstitutional". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
  102. ^ "Trump acquitted, denounced in historic impeachment trial". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on February 19, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  103. ^ Marketwatch. "McConnell: 'Trump is still liable for everything he did' – read full speech". MarketWatch. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  104. ^ Rogers, Alex; Raju, Manu (February 13, 2021). "McConnell blames Trump but voted not guilty anyway". CNN. Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  105. ^ a b "McConnell on Impeachment: 'Disgraceful Dereliction"" Cannot Lead Senate to 'Defy Our Own Constitutional Guardrails'". republicanleader.senate.gov. Archived from the original on February 13, 2021. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
  106. ^ Everett, Burgess (May 27, 2021). "Senate Republicans prepared to block Jan. 6 commission". Politico. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  107. ^ "Which senators supported a Jan. 6 Capitol riot commission". The Washington Post. May 28, 2021. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  108. ^ "Biden and McConnell's visit to Kentucky signals White House roadmap for next 2 years under split Congress". Politico. January 4, 2023. Archived from the original on January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.
  109. ^ "Debt ceiling: What's next for the US debt limit". BBC News. October 15, 2021. Archived from the original on May 25, 2023. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  110. ^ a b Zengerle, Jason (August 22, 2018). "How the Trump Administration Is Remaking the Courts". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 20, 2018. Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  111. ^ Herszenhorn, David M.; Hulse, Carl (June 2, 2009). "Parties Plot Strategy as Sotomayor Visits Capitol". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 16, 2011. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  112. ^ Abdullah, Halimah (July 17, 2009). "McConnell, Bunning agree: They'll vote no on Sotomayor". McClatchyDC. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  113. ^ Savage, Charlie (August 6, 2009). "Sotomayor Confirmed by Senate, 68-31". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  114. ^ Ferraro, Thomas (May 12, 2010). "Top Republican challenges Kagan's independence". Reuters. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  115. ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (July 2, 2010). "McConnell Opposes Kagan". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 21, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  116. ^ Arce, Dwyer (August 5, 2010). "Senate votes to confirm Kagan to Supreme Court". JURIST. Archived from the original on July 27, 2011. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
  117. ^ Savage, David (December 31, 2016). "This Congress filled the fewest judgeships since 1952. That leaves a big opening for Trump". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on June 22, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  118. ^ According to the Congressional Research Service, on the first day of 2015, Obama had 3.9% of circuit court seats vacant, and 4.9% of district court seats vacant. By the first day of 2017, the figures had risen to 9.5% and 12.8% respectively. The 114th Congress confirmed 28.6% of Obama's circuit and district judge nominees; every other Congress in that research time frame (1977–2018, 95th to 115th Congress) had a confirmation rate of between 53% and 98%."Judicial Nomination Statistics and Analysis: U.S. District and Circuit Courts, 1977–2018" (PDF). Congressional Research Service. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  119. ^ Hirschfeld Davis, Julie (March 4, 2016). "Three More Judges Said to be Vetted for Supreme Court". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 24, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  120. ^ a b Everett, Burgess; Trush, Glenn (February 13, 2016). "McConnell throws down the gauntlet: No Scalia replacement under Obama". Politico. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  121. ^ Shear, Michael D.; Harris, Gardiner (March 16, 2016). "Obama Chooses Merrick Garland for Supreme Court". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  122. ^ Totenberg, Nina (September 6, 2016). "170-Plus Days And Counting: GOP Unlikely To End Supreme Court Blockade Soon". All Things Considered. NPR. Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  123. ^ Bravin, Jess (January 3, 2017). "President Obama's Supreme Court Nomination of Merrick Garland Expires". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 10, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
  124. ^ Scarce, Ed. "Mitch McConnell: Proud Moment When I Told Obama 'You Will Not Fill This Supreme Court Vacancy'". Crooks and Liars. Archived from the original on July 12, 2018. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  125. ^ Roarty, Alex (August 8, 2016). "Tea Party-Aligned Kentucky Gov May End 95-Year Democratic Reign". rollcall.com. Archived from the original on August 22, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  126. ^ Alford, Roger (April 3, 2018). "McConnell on midterm elections: 'The wind is going to be in our face'". Kentucky Today. Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
  127. ^ Schier, Steven E.; Eberly, Todd E. (2017). The Trump Presidency: Outsider in the Oval Office. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 71. Archived from the original on October 11, 2018. Retrieved October 11, 2018.
  128. ^ Handelsman Shugerman, Jed. "Constitutional Hardball vs. Beanball: Identifying Fundamentally Antidemocratic Tactics". Columbia Law Review. Archived from the original on May 30, 2019. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
  129. ^ Ashbee, Edward; Dumbrell, John, eds. (2017). The Obama Presidency and the Politics of Change. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 55, 62. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-41033-3. ISBN 978-3-319-41032-6. Archived from the original on November 30, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  130. ^ Barnes, Robert (January 31, 2017). "Trump picks Colo. appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch for Supreme Court". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 1, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2017.
  131. ^ Liptak, Adam; Flegenheimer, Matt (April 8, 2017). "Neil Gorsuch Confirmed by Senate as Supreme Court Justice". The New York Times. p. A1. Archived from the original on April 29, 2019. Retrieved April 15, 2017.
  132. ^ Platoff, Emma (July 18, 2018). "Senate confirms a top Abbott adviser, Andrew Oldham, to the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals". The Texas Tribune. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  133. ^ Carney, Jordain (July 16, 2018). "Senate GOP poised to break record on Trump's court picks". The Hill. Archived from the original on July 17, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  134. ^ Bailey, Phillip M. (March 16, 2020). "Mitch McConnell is quietly urging federal judges to retire ahead of 2020 election". Louisville Courier Journal. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  135. ^ Hulse, Carl (March 16, 2020). "McConnell Has a Request for Veteran Federal Judges: Please Quit". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  136. ^ Carney, Jordain (July 12, 2018). "McConnell accuses Dems of trying to 'bork' Kavanaugh". The Hill. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  137. ^ Carney, Jordain (September 24, 2018). "McConnell promises Senate vote on Kavanaugh". The Hill. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  138. ^ Foran, Clare (October 7, 2018). "Brett Kavanaugh confirmed to Supreme Court". CNN. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  139. ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (October 6, 2018). "Kavanaugh Is Sworn In After Close Confirmation Vote in Senate". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 13, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  140. ^ Samuels, Brett (October 7, 2018). "McConnell: 'Simply inaccurate' that Senate is broken after Kavanaugh fight". The Hill. Archived from the original on November 7, 2018. Retrieved November 7, 2018.
  141. ^ Viebeck, Elise (October 9, 2018). "McConnell signals he would push to fill a Supreme Court vacancy in 2020 despite 2016 example". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on October 12, 2018. Retrieved October 12, 2018.
  142. ^ Foran, Clare; Raju, Manu; Barrett, Ted (September 19, 2020). "McConnell vows Trump's nominee to replace Ginsburg will get Senate vote, setting up historic fight". CNN. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 19, 2020.
  143. ^ "Senate takes up Barrett nomination". CBS News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved October 23, 2020.
  144. ^ Palmer, Anna (October 28, 2013). "McConnell: No more shutdowns". Politico. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  145. ^ Bash, Dana (August 28, 2014). "McConnell: 'Remember me? I am the guy that gets us out of shutdowns' | CNN Politics". CNN. Archived from the original on January 6, 2022. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  146. ^ Ehrlich, Jamie (July 30, 2018). "McConnell said wall funding would 'probably' have to wait until after midterms. Trump threatened a shutdown two days later". CNN. Archived from the original on December 6, 2018. Retrieved January 9, 2019.
  147. ^ Carney, Jordain (October 23, 2018). "Senate approves sweeping bill on defense, domestic spending". The Hill. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  148. ^ Carney, Jordain (December 22, 2018). "McConnell knocks Dems for rejecting Trump's 'reasonable request' on border". The Hill. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  149. ^ Carney, Jordain (January 2, 2019). "McConnell suggests shutdown could last for weeks". The Hill. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  150. ^ a b Bresnahan, John; Everett, Burgess (January 4, 2019). "McConnell keeps his head down as government shutdown drags on". Politico. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  151. ^ a b Nilsen, Ella (January 10, 2019). "Senate Democrats pushed a vote to reopen the government. Mitch McConnell shot them down". Vox. Archived from the original on May 23, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  152. ^ a b Itkowitz, Colby (January 11, 2019). "Mitch McConnell could end the shutdown. But he's sitting this one out". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 5, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  153. ^ Carney, Jordain (January 23, 2019). "McConnell blocks bill to reopen most of government". The Hill. Archived from the original on January 24, 2019. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  154. ^ Sullivan, Sean; Kane, Paul (January 25, 2019). "'This is your fault': GOP senators clash over shutdown inside private luncheon". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 23, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  155. ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay; Fandos, Nicholas (January 3, 2019). "McConnell Faces Pressure From Republicans to Stop Avoiding Shutdown Fight". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 15, 2019. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  156. ^ Gambino, Lauren; Walters, Joanna (January 25, 2019). "Trump signs bill to end shutdown and temporarily reopen government". The Guardian. Archived from the original on January 25, 2019. Retrieved January 25, 2019.
  157. ^ Zaveri, Mihir; Gates, Guilbert; Zraick, Karen (January 9, 2019). "The Government Shutdown Was the Longest Ever. Here's the History". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 9, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  158. ^ Carney, Jordain (March 12, 2020). "McConnell: House coronavirus bill an 'ideological wish list'". The Hill. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  159. ^ Allen, Jonathan (March 12, 2020). "The twisted politics of Washington's coronavirus response". NBC News. Archived from the original on April 2, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  160. ^ Schultz, Marisa (March 17, 2020). "McConnell tells GOP to pass House coronavirus bill: 'Gag and vote for it anyway'". Fox News. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  161. ^ Wire, Sarah D. (March 25, 2020) "Senate passes $2-trillion economic stimulus package Archived October 6, 2020, at the Wayback Machine". Los Angeles Times.
  162. ^ Kambhampati, Sandhya (March 26, 2020). "The coronavirus stimulus package versus the Recovery Act Archived August 8, 2020, at the Wayback Machine". Los Angeles Times.
  163. ^ "All of the COVID-19 stimulus bills, visualized". usatoday.com. March 11, 2021. Archived from the original on December 30, 2021. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  164. ^ Dennis, Steven T.; Selway, William (April 22, 2020). "McConnell Says He Favors Letting States Declare Bankruptcy". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  165. ^ Hulse, Carl (May 15, 2020). "With Go-Slow Approach, Republicans Risk Political Blowback on Pandemic Aid". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  166. ^ Hulse, Carl (August 5, 2020). "In Stimulus Talks, McConnell Is Outside the Room and in a Tight Spot". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
  167. ^ Carney, Jordain (August 11, 2020). "McConnell: Time to restart coronavirus talks". The Hill. Archived from the original on September 22, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  168. ^ Bolton, Alexander (August 6, 2020). "McConnell goes hands-off on coronavirus relief bill". The Hill. Archived from the original on September 15, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  169. ^ Hayes, Christal (September 10, 2020). "Senate Democrats block $300 billion coronavirus stimulus package, leaving little hope for relief before November". USA Today. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  170. ^ Pramuk, Jacob (September 10, 2020). "Senate Republicans fail to advance coronavirus stimulus bill as stalemate drags on". MSNBC. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  171. ^ Raju, Manu (September 10, 2020). "How McConnell is maneuvering to keep the Senate in GOP hands — and navigating Trump". CNN. Archived from the original on September 18, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  172. ^ Stracqualursi, Veronica (September 9, 2020). "Schumer says Democrats won't fold to GOP's 'emaciated' stimulus bill". CNN. Archived from the original on September 16, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  173. ^ Segers, Grace (September 10, 2020). "Senate fails to advance slimmed-down GOP coronavirus relief bill". CBS News. Archived from the original on September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  174. ^ Ostermeier, Dr. Eric (November 29, 2015). "Which States Give Their US Senators the Lowest Marks?". Smart Politics. Archived from the original on November 18, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2016.
  175. ^ Cirilli, Kevin (December 12, 2012). "Poll: The most unpopular senator". Politico. Archived from the original on February 25, 2021. Retrieved February 12, 2017.
  176. ^ "The Least Popular U.S. Senators". insidegov.com. InsideGov (Graphiq). Archived from the original on July 6, 2017. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
  177. ^ a b "Morning Consult's Senator Approval Rankings: Q2 2019, Senator Lookup". morningconsult.com. Morning Consult. 2019. Archived from the original on October 14, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  178. ^ Yokley, Eli (January 10, 2019). "America's Most and Least Popular Senators: McConnell loses spot as least popular senator". morningconsult.com. Morning Consult. Archived from the original on April 14, 2020. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  179. ^ "Mitch McConnell: Favorable/Unfavorable". realclearpolitics.com. Real Clear Politics (RealClearHoldings, LLC.). Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  180. ^ Behrmann, Savannah (January 17, 2020). "Susan Collins surpasses Mitch McConnell as the most unpopular senator in a new poll". USA Today (Gannett). Archived from the original on May 7, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  181. ^ "Committee Assignments of the 118th Congress". United States Senate. Archived from the original on May 12, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  182. ^ Homans, Charles (January 22, 2019). "Mitch McConnell Got Everything He Wanted. But at What Cost?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  183. ^ Gautreaux, R (2016). "Framing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:A Content Analysis of Democratic and Republican Twitter Feeds". Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved March 26, 2020.
  184. ^ a b Re, Gregg (April 22, 2019). "McConnell vows to be 'grim reaper' of socialist Dem proposals". Fox News. Archived from the original on June 17, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  185. ^ Creitz, Charles (June 13, 2019). "Mitch McConnell: 'For the first time in my memory, I agree with Nancy Pelosi'". Fox News. Archived from the original on June 17, 2019. Retrieved June 17, 2019.
  186. ^ "U.S. Senate: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 115th Congress – 1st Session". senate.gov. July 27, 2017. Archived from the original on January 13, 2018. Retrieved June 27, 2019.
  187. ^ Everett, Burgess; Haberkorn, Jennifer (April 24, 2024). "How McConnell and Schumer beat hardline conservatives on Ukraine". Politico. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
  188. ^ "McConnell pushes back on Biden conditions on aid to Israel". The Hill. May 10, 2024.
  189. ^ "Senate Roll Call: Iraq Resolution". The Washington Post. October 11, 2002. Archived from the original on September 4, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  190. ^ "McConnell: Troop Surge In Iraq Showing Early Signs Of Success". WYMT. Associated Press. March 5, 2007. Archived from the original on August 26, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2014.
  191. ^ "Sen. Mitch McConnell's Political Life, Examined, In 'The Cynic'". November 20, 2014. Archived from the original on June 18, 2020. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  192. ^ Everett, Burgess (July 1, 2015). "McConnell: GOP out of legislative options to fight gay marriage". POLITICO. Retrieved May 22, 2024.
  193. ^ Chellgren, Mark R. (November 7, 1984). "Dee upset by McConnell in close race". Williamson Daily News. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  194. ^ "Democrats Have Net Gain of Two Senate Seats". Congressional Quarterly. Archived from the original on August 20, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
  195. ^ kentuckyinsider (October 29, 2008). "McConnell Attacks Huddleston – Part 1" (video). YouTube. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  196. ^ kentuckyinsider (October 29, 2008). "McConnell Attacks Huddleston – Part 2" (video). YouTube. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  197. ^ Shaw, Catherine M. (2000). "Media--Radio and Television". The campaign manager: running and winning local elections. Boulder, CO: Westview Press. p. 201. ISBN 978-0-8133-6848-1. (citing the "Switch to Mitch"/"Have you seen Dee Huddleston?" television ad as "another example of humor used in [a] negative spot" and containing images and a transcript of the campaign ad.)
  198. ^ a b Linkins, Jason (July 11, 2013). "Mitch McConnell Likes The Corny Wordplay With His Political Opponents' Last Names". HuffPost. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  199. ^ "Statistics of the congressional election of November 6, 1990" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 21, 2011. Retrieved January 15, 2020.
  200. ^ "96 PRESIDENTIAL and CONGRESSIONAL ELECTION STATISTICS". clerk.house.gov. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  201. ^ "2002 ELECTION STATISTICS". clerk.house.gov. Archived from the original on January 5, 2007. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
  202. ^ Killough, Ashley (July 24, 2013). "Conservative challenger takes on top Senate Republican". CNN. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  203. ^ Ostermeier, Eric (May 20, 2014). "McConnell Records Weakest Kentucky US Senate Incumbent Primary Victory in 75+ Years". Smart Politics. Archived from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  204. ^ "Mitch McConnell Wins Re-Election, A.P. Says, as Republicans Make Election Day Push". The New York Times. November 4, 2014. Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  205. ^ "2014 General Election Results" (PDF). elect.ky.gov. Kentucky State Board of Elections. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 27, 2020. Retrieved January 27, 2020.
  206. ^ Krieg, Gregory; Sullivan, Kate (June 30, 2020). "Amy McGrath wins Kentucky Senate Democratic primary, CNN projects". CNN. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  207. ^ "Debate set in McConnell-McGrath Senate race in Kentucky". wkyt.com. October 2, 2020. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  208. ^ "Amy McGrath vs. Mitch McConnell debate is on". Courier Journal. October 2, 2020. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved October 3, 2020.
  209. ^ BRUCE SCHREINER (October 11, 2020). "Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell to debate challenger Amy McGrath". WKRC. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved October 13, 2020.
  210. ^ "U.S. Senate Election Results". The New York Times. November 3, 2020. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on November 4, 2020. Retrieved November 4, 2020.
  211. ^ Autry, Lisa (August 14, 2014). "Religious Leaders Press McConnell on Social Issues". WKU Public Radio Service of Western Kentucky University. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  212. ^ How Mitch McConnell became Trump's enabler-in-chief Archived September 19, 2020, at the Wayback Machine, The New Yorker, Jane Mayer, April 12, 2020. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  213. ^ "Mitch McConnell Fast Facts". CNN. February 5, 2017. Archived from the original on April 27, 2016. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  214. ^ : Facts & Related Content Archived November 7, 2021, at the Wayback Machine, Encyclopædia Britannica, 2021. Retrieved November 6, 2021.
  215. ^ Walsh, Kathleen (August 17, 2020). "How Daughters of High-Profile Republicans Became Progressive Icons". InStyle. Archived from the original on February 8, 2023. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  216. ^ "Unimpressed with post office banking trial, backers eye new initiative". Roll Call. March 1, 2022. Archived from the original on February 28, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  217. ^ Horowitz, Jason (May 13, 2014). "Girding for a Fight, McConnell Enlists His Wife". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  218. ^ "Sherrill Redmon Retires". Smith College. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  219. ^ Barrett, Ted (January 31, 2017). "Chao confirmed as transportation secretary". CNN. Archived from the original on March 14, 2017. Retrieved August 2, 2018.
  220. ^ Mangan, Dan; Breuniger, Kevin (May 15, 2018). "Trump nominates brother-in-law of Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell and Transportation Secretary Chao to run pension agency". CNBC. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  221. ^ Kullgren, Ian (December 17, 2018). "Want to run an agency? It helps to know Mitch McConnell". Politico. Archived from the original on May 27, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  222. ^ "Senate Confirms Gordon Hartogensis as Director of PBGC". Chief Investment Officer. May 3, 2019. Archived from the original on July 7, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  223. ^ "Roll Call Vote 116th Congress – 1st Session". April 30, 2019. Archived from the original on July 10, 2019. Retrieved June 12, 2019.
  224. ^ "McConnell undergoes heart surgery". CNN. February 3, 2003. Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  225. ^ "US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell treated for concussion". BBC News. March 9, 2023. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  226. ^ Goodman, Sylvia (August 17, 2023). "Sen. Mitch McConnell's health issues spotlight Kentucky's succession process". NPR. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  227. ^ Keck, Matthew (July 27, 2023). "Mitch McConnell returns to Senate floor day after freezing during news conference". WLKY. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  228. ^ Haake, Garrett; Kapur, Sahil (July 26, 2023). "McConnell fell recently at Washington, D.C.-area airport prior to Wednesday's freeze-up". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 31, 2023. Retrieved August 31, 2023.
  229. ^ Osborne, Samuel (July 27, 2023). "Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell freezes mid-sentence and stares vacantly for around 20 seconds during press conference". Sky News. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
  230. ^ Raju, Manu; Rimmer, Morgan (July 26, 2023). "Mitch McConnell says he's 'fine' after freezing during news conference". CNN. Archived from the original on July 26, 2023. Retrieved July 26, 2023.
  231. ^ Kapur, Sahil; Shabad, Rebecca (July 29, 2023). "Mitch McConnell vows to serve his full term as Republican leader". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  232. ^ Thorp V., Frank (August 30, 2023). "Sen. Mitch McConnell appears to freeze again at a Kentucky event". NBC News. Archived from the original on August 30, 2023. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  233. ^ Everett, Burgess [@burgessev] (August 31, 2023). "Capitol physician provides note on McConnell medically clearing him to continue his duties after yesterdays episode. Physician spoke to McConnell's neurology team and McConnell, per this note" (Tweet). Archived from the original on January 31, 2024 – via Twitter.
  234. ^ Raju, Manu; Wilson, Kristin; Grayer, Annie (September 5, 2023). "Capitol Hill doctor: No evidence McConnell has seizure disorder or experienced stroke when freezing before cameras". CNN. Archived from the original on September 30, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023.
  235. ^ Dyche, John David (2009). Republican Leader: A Political Biography of Senator Mitch McConnell. Intercollegiate Studies Institute. p. 124. ISBN 978-1-935191-59-9. Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved January 6, 2019.
  236. ^ Southworth, Ann (2008). Lawyers of the right: professionalizing the conservative coalition. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. p. 30. ISBN 978-0-226-76836-6.
  237. ^ "The Long Rifleman Louisville-Thruston Chapter" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on October 4, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  238. ^ "Board of Selectors". JeffersonAwards.org. Archived from the original on November 24, 2010. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  239. ^ "Mitch McConnell – Net Worth – Personal Finances". OpenSecrets.org. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved October 28, 2021.
  240. ^ Bresnahan, John (June 12, 2009). "Members' fortunes see steep declines". Politico. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  241. ^ a b c Hulse, Carl (July 30, 2019). "'Moscow Mitch' Tag Enrages McConnell and Squeezes G.O.P. on Election Security". The New York Times. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  242. ^ a b Everett, Burgess (May 19, 2019). "Mitch McConnell embraces his dark side". Politico. Archived from the original on September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  243. ^ Naughtie, Andrew (May 28, 2020). "'Rich Mitch':Republican Group That Infuriated Trump Takes Aim at Senate Leader in New Ad". The Independent. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  244. ^ Tobin, Ben (January 21, 2020). "McConnell called 'Midnight Mitch' for controversial proposed impeachment trial rules". The Courier-Journal. Archived from the original on November 20, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  245. ^ "Mitch McConnell responds to Trump's 'Old Crow' insult: 'It's quite an honor'". CNN. July 13, 2021. Archived from the original on August 31, 2021. Retrieved August 31, 2021.
  246. ^ Reasons cited for McConnell's opposition to the nickname include "a longstanding resistance to federal control over state elections, newly enacted security improvements that were shown to have worked in the 2018 voting and his suspicion that Democrats are trying to gain partisan advantage with a host of proposals".
  247. ^ "Mitch McConnell responds to 'Daily Show' turtle impersonation". CNBC. May 13, 2015. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  248. ^ Maglio, Tony (November 7, 2014). "Jon Stewart Takes 'Slow-Talking Tortoise-Man' Mitch McConnell to Task – Again (Video)". The Wrap. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  249. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (February 2, 2020). "'S.N.L.' Imagines the Impeachment Trial That Could Have Been". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 16, 2020. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  250. ^ Di Placidio, Dani (November 9, 2017). "'South Park' Review: 'Doubling Down' Is the Most Insightful Episode in Years". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  251. ^ Gonzales, Nathan L.; McKinless, Thomas (June 6, 2019). "What is McConnelling? How campaigns skirt coordination laws to help PACs make ads". Roll Call. Archived from the original on November 8, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  252. ^ Fuller, Jaime (March 14, 2014). "How 'McConnelling' came to be the hottest thing on the political web". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  253. ^ Newton-Small, Jay (March 17, 2014). "McConnell Embraces #McConnelling". Time. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  254. ^ "Mitch McConnell". Time. April 13, 2023.

Further reading

Legal offices
Preceded by
Vincent Rakestraw
 Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legislative Affairs
Acting
1975 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Judge-Executive of Jefferson County
1978–1984 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Kentucky
(Class 2)
1984, 1990, 1996, 2002, 2008, 2014, 2020 		Most recent
Preceded by Chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
1997–2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Senate Republican Whip
2003–2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Senate Republican Leader
2007–present 		Incumbent
U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. Senator (Class 2) from Kentucky
1985–present
Served alongside: Wendell Ford, Jim Bunning, Rand Paul 		Incumbent
Preceded by Ranking Member of the Senate Ethics Committee
1993–1995 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Richard Bryan
 Chair of the Senate Ethics Committee
1995–1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chair of the Senate Rules Committee
1999–2001 		Succeeded by
Chair of the Joint Inaugural Ceremonies Committee
2000–2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee
2001–2003 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Senate Majority Whip
2003–2007 		Succeeded by
Senate Minority Leader
2007–2015 		Succeeded by
Harry Reid
Senate Majority Leader
2015–2021 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Senate Minority Leader
2021–present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded byas Senate Majority Leader Order of precedence of the United States
as Senate Minority Leader 		Succeeded byas Senate Majority Whip
Preceded by United States senators by seniority
2nd 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mitch_McConnell&oldid=1257196924"