Mitch McConnell was emotional when he announced his decision before the US Senate, reports Reuters.
– I turned 82 last week. The end of my effort is closer than I would have liked, he said.
The senator does not give a specific reason for his decision but says he began to think about it when his wife’s youngest sister died in a car accident, writes CNN. According to AP has nothing to do with health. The senator was out of work for six weeks last spring because of a concussion. His health was also noticed when on two occasions he froze for several seconds during speeches.
McConnell leaves behind himself a power vacuum in the party he has led for almost 17 years, writes Reuters. He is praised by several colleagues after the announcement.
– No member of Congress has played a greater role in reshaping the federal judiciary than Mitch. I join my colleagues in paying tribute to his historic contributions to the Republican Party and to Congress. His legacy will last for generations, said Republican Mike Johnson, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, according to Reuters.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Democrat, praises McConnell despite their policy differences.
– During my years in the Senate, Mitch McConnell and I rarely agreed when it came to politics or our political preferences. But I am very proud that we both worked together in the last few years during critical moments when our country needed us.
McConnell is the one longest serving Senate leader in the US Senate. He was elected as a representative of the state of Kentucky in 1985 and was the majority leader of the Senate between 2015 and 2021. In recent years, he has been the minority leader.
– I love the Senate. It has been my life. There may have been more distinguished members of this position throughout history, but I doubt there has been anyone who admires it so much, Mitch McConnell said in a statement, according to the AP.
Recently, he has been under increased pressure from the pro-Trump phalanx of the party. This gained momentum after McConnell refused to agree with Trump’s claims that the 2020 presidential election, in which Joe Biden won, was rigged.
McConnell announces that he plans to remain in the House until his term expires in January 2027, but not as Republican leader.
After his speech in the Senate on Wednesday, McConnell received a standing ovation, reports CNN.
According to CNN, the three senators who are expected to run to replace McConnell are called “the three Johns”; John Thune, John Cornyn and John Barrasso.
