McConnell, the longest serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, said in a floor speech that his “current term in the Senate will be my last.”
“Regardless of the political storms that may wash over this chamber … I assure our colleagues that I will depart with great hope for the endurance of the Senate as an institution,” he said.
A large cohort of ambitious Kentucky Republicans has long been angling to succeed the 83-year-old former Senate GOP leader, who has held his seat since 1985.
I never thought I’d be more fearful than grateful for Mitch McConnell’s exit from politics.
I think it’s far more good than bad. He helped create a monster that he could never control. His monster was always going to be a monster with or without him. So at least with him going there’s a chance there will be one less skillful madman near the levers of power.
The problem is that on certain specific issues he was occasionally the voice of something resembling reason among Republicans. I highly doubt that his replacement will be anything but a pure MAGA nut job.