Mitch McConnell is set to make history on Tuesday, becoming the longest-serving Senate leader ever after 16 years leading the Senate Republican conference.
The Kentucky Republican will overtake the late Sen. Mike Mansfield (D-Mont.), who was the widely respected party leader from 1961 to 1977, once the Senate adjourns for the start of the 118th Congress at noon.
McConnell, 80, was elected to the Senate in 1984 and became minority leader in 2007. He served as majority leader from 2015 to 2021 as Republicans retained control of the upper chamber.
The notoriously taciturn GOP leader is expected to deliver a speech Tuesday praising Mansfield’s “behind-the-scenes” style as a leader “who preferred to focus on serving his colleagues rather than dominating them,” according to excerpts obtained by Politico. The remarks are an obvious reference to the way McConnell likes to operate.
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But McConnell’s leadership style was not popular with all members of his conference. After the GOP’s disappointing performance in the November 2022 midterm elections, a group of 10 Senate Republicans challenged McConnell by opposing him in the leadership election. McConnell still won handily, but the drama exposed deep rifts within his conference that widened after Republicans failed to recapture the Senate last year.
During his tenure as leader, McConnell won acclaim within the GOP for obstructing much of President Barack Obama’s agenda, including getting the confirmation of a Supreme Court justice. The latter move led to the repeal of federal abortion rights, a longtime goal of the conservative movement.
He has taken a transactional approach to Donald Trump’s presidency, passing tax-cut legislation and confirming that dozens of judges are turning a blind eye to the former president’s outbursts. And while she called out Trump for instigating the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol, she shielded him from conviction in her impeachment trial.
Under President Joe Biden, however, McConnell has shown a willingness to cross the aisle and support bipartisan initiatives, including a $1 trillion infrastructure overhaul, gun safety reforms and investment in domestic semiconductor manufacturing.
McConnell is also expected to appear alongside Biden at an event in Kentucky on Wednesday to deliver key remarks on infrastructure, a notable move in today’s bitterly divided partisan politics. The bipartisan deal stands in stark contrast to the chaos in the House, where Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) is still struggling to lock down the votes needed to become president amid a conservative insurgency seeking, among other things, a more confrontational approach. with the Biden administration.
McConnell has given no indication of his future in the Senate. Asked in November if Mansfield’s record would prompt him to retire at some point, he said: “I’m not going anywhere.”
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