McConnell won’t seek reelection, plans to retire after finishing term

Sen. Mitch McConnell, the former Senate GOP leader, announced Thursday that he won’t seek reelection in 2026 and will retire after finishing his term.

The decision did not come as much of a surprise, given that Mr. McConnell decided last Congress to step down from GOP leadership after 18 years in the top position, the longest reign of any Senate party leader.

Mr. McConnell, a Kentucky Republican who has served in the Senate since 1984, said he made his decision not to seek reelection last year. He said he decided his 83rd birthday was “as good a day as any” to publicly announce it.

Surrounded by his fellow GOP senators, he delivered a 15-minute floor speech expressing his “immense gratitude” for the Kentuckians who repeatedly elected him to the Senate, and his Senate colleagues who allowed him to fulfill “a rare and yes, rather specific childhood dream” of serving as Republican leader.

“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” Mr. McConnell said. “Every day in between I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business right here. Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.”

The signs that Mr. McConnell would not run for another term had already accumulated this year as he bucked his party and voted against three of President Trump’s top nominees — angering Republicans in his home state of Kentucky.

He was the only Republican to oppose Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard. He was one of three Republicans to vote against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

Mr. Trump, who has not gotten along with Mr. McConnell since the lawmaker spoke out against him in the wake of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, took credit for the senator dropping out of leadership and suggested his votes against nominees are retribution for that.

The president last week called Mr. McConnell “a very bitter guy” who “has lost his power” in the Republican Party.

“I feel sorry for Mitch,” Mr. Trump said. “He wanted to go to the end and he wanted to stay leader. He’s not equipped mentally. He wasn’t equipped 10 years ago mentally, in my opinion. He let the Republican Party go to hell.”

Mr. McConnell did not mention Mr. Trump in his floor speech on Thursday, but ended it with tacit nod to all the political enemies he’s accumulated over the years.

“To the disappointment of my critics, I’m still here on the job,” he said.

Mr. McConnell said he plans to spend his final two years in the Senate focused on “strengthening American hard power” against increasing threats from foreign adversaries.

“The hopes and dreams of every American are tied up in our ability to protect and defend the nation and its interests,” he said. “Every family traveling abroad, and every worker and small business owner whose livelihood depends on foreign trade — they depend in turn on the credibility of America’s commitments to friends and the strength of her threats to enemies.”

With Mr. McConnell’s announcement, Kentucky is likely to face a competitive Republican primary to fill the open Senate seat in 2026.

Daniel Cameron, a former Kentucky attorney general, announced his plans to run immediately after Mr. McConnell finished his floor speech. Mr. Cameron ran for governor in 2023 but lost to incumbent Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear by 5 percentage points.

Rep. Andy Barr, Kentucky Republican, said he is considering a bid for the Senate seat and will be making a decision soon.

Nate Morris, a Kentucky businessman who previously said he was “seriously looking at” running for Senate, did not announce a decision on Thursday but posted a video attacking Mr. Cameron and Mr. Barr for refusing to call out Mr. McConnell “for the sabotage of President Trump’s agenda.”

“We cannot have a Mitch McConnell puppet filling his seat,” he said. “This is a seat that belongs to the people and we need to send someone to Washington who’s going to fight with President Trump.”

Democrats will likely try to recruit a top candidate as well but have little chance of winning, especially with Mr. Beshear uninterested in running. The party’s campaign arm seemed to acknowledge that with its statement calling the open Kentucky Senate race an “additional defensive headache” for Republicans rather than a pick-up opportunity for Democrats.

“Kentucky is a red state, so the [National Republican Senate Committee] is confident that our eventual nominee will be a principled, America first conservative who will join our majority’s fight for our nation’s golden era,” said Sen. Tim Scott, chairman of the GOP campaign arm.

Mr. McConnell’s speech looked back at his childhood survival of polio and how he arrived to the Senate with limited political experience running a county government, which he credits with allowing him to always prioritize Kentucky’s needs in the context of larger national debates.

“I’ve been humbled by each and every opportunity to help Kentucky punch above its weight,” Mr. McConnell said.

He cited examples of ensuring Kentucky farmers received assistance in major agriculture legislation, like with the 2004 tobacco buyout, and securing billions for the state and region in infrastructure bills, like with money to modernize the Brent Spence Bridge connecting Kentucky and Ohio.

Mr. McConnell also expressed his appreciation for the Senate as an institution, with its cumbersome rules and collegial norms that he believes will endure through any political storm.

“There are any number of reasons for pessimism. But the strength of the Senate is not one of them,” he said. “This chamber is still the haven where the political minority can require a debate. It is still the crucible in which jurists are tested for their fidelity to upholding the Constitution and laws as they were written. The Senate is still equipped for work of great consequence.”

As Mr. McConnell’s colleagues commented on his decision not to seek reelection, most cited his legacy of reshaping the federal judiciary with record-breaking confirmations of conservative justices.

The senator also commented on the important role the Senate plays in confirming judicial appointments, serving as “the final check on the assembly of power in courts, beyond the reach of representative politics” to ensure judges are devoted to the rule of law above all else.

“When members of this body ignore, discount, or pervert this fundamental duty, they do so not just at the peril of the Senate, but the entire nation,” Mr. McConnell said. “The weight of our power to advise and consent has never been lost on me.”

Senate Majority Leader John Thune, the South Dakota Republican praised his colleague’s “steady vision” and “remarkable service.”

“Over decades of tireless work, his mastery of Senate procedure, commitment to the institution, and dedication to the rule of law have shaped the course of American governance for generations to come,” he said. “His leadership has strengthened the Senate’s role as a deliberative body and delivered historic achievements, from advancing the judiciary to championing Kentucky’s interests.”