Mitch McConnell to step down as US Senate Republican leader in November
- The senator froze up in public twice last summer, raising questions about his ability to continue to carry out the duties of his high-powered job
- The announcement of the long-serving politician’s departure comes amid tough negotiations on a spending deal to avoid a US government shutdown
US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday he would step down from his leadership role, leaving a power vacuum atop the party he has piloted for nearly 17 years, more than any other party leader in the chamber’s history.
“I turned 82 last week. The end of my contributions are closer than I prefer,” McConnell said on the Senate floor, his voice breaking with emotion. “Father Time remains undefeated. I’m no longer the young man sitting in the back hoping colleagues remember my name. It’s time for the next generation of leadership.”
The 82-year-old Kentucky lawmaker’s departure will remove a central character in negotiations with Democrats and the White House on spending deals to keep the federal government funded and avert a shutdown.
It will also mark the step back of an orderly counterpart to the tumultuous approach of Donald Trump, the front runner for the Republican presidential nomination, and the hardline House Freedom Caucus ahead of the November election for president, the full House of Representatives and a third of the Senate.
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US Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell freezes during press event
And it will cap the career of a lawmaker reviled by Democrats for having used unprecedented tactics to cement a 6-3 conservative Supreme Court majority that has acted aggressively to end the national right to abortion and expand gun rights.
McConnell twice last summer froze up while making remarks in public, raising questions about his ability to continue to carry out the duties of his high-powered job. Those concerns were not assuaged by an August 31 note from the congressional doctor that cleared McConnell to go on working.