Mitch McConnell Stepping Down!

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell announced he will step down as the Republican leader of the Senate.

Sen. McConnell, who is the longest-serving Senate leader in history, plans to step down from his position as the Republican leader of the Senate in November.

In a statement, McConnell shared, “One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter.”

The Senator from Kentucky continued, “So I stand before you today … to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”

McConnell doesn’t plan to leave the Senate anytime soon and plans to finish out his term, which ends in 2027.

Mitch McConnell acknowledges he's out of step with the Republican Party as he announces he will leave the Senate:

"I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time. I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them." pic.twitter.com/OIyOblPhGf

— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 28, 2024

Here’s what AP reported:

Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history who maintained his power in the face of dramatic convulsions in the Republican Party for almost two decades, will step down from that position in November.

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McConnell, who turned 82 last week, was set to announce his decision Wednesday in the well of the Senate, a place where he looked in awe from its back benches in 1985 when he arrived and where he grew increasingly comfortable in the front row seat afforded the party leaders.

“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” he said in prepared remarks obtained by The Associated Press. “So I stand before you today … to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”

His decision punctuates a powerful ideological transition underway in the Republican Party, from Ronald Reagan’s brand of traditional conservatism and strong international alliances, to the fiery, often isolationist populism of former President Donald Trump.

BREAKING: Mitch McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history, will step down from that position in November. https://t.co/PkIo2reLfE

— The Associated Press (@AP) February 28, 2024

CNBC had these details to add:

Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said Wednesday that he will step down as Republican leader in the Senate in November.

McConnell, 82, revealed his plans in address to the Senate.

McConnell, who is the long-serving Senate caucus leader in history, plans to keep his seat in the chamber. His term ends in January 2027.

“So I stand before you today Mr. President, and my colleagues, to say this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate,” McConnell said from the well of the Senate.

He noted “this has been a particularly difficult time for my family,” including his wife, former Cabinet secretary Elaine Chao.

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“We tragically lost Elaine’s younger sister Angela, just a few weeks ago,” McConnell said, referring to the apparent drowning death of Foremost Group CEO Angela Chao in a pond on a Texas ranch.

Bye-bye Mitch McConnell

we will not miss you! pic.twitter.com/sH3pk7QFr9

— Freedom 🇺🇸🦅 (@PU28453638) February 28, 2024