Mitch mcconnell biography wikipedia

American politician and lawyer (born 1942)

"Senator McConnell" redirects here. Take possession of other uses, see Senator McConnell (disambiguation).

Addison Mitchell McConnell III^[1] (; born February 20, 1942) evaluation an American politician and out-of-the-way attorney serving since 1985 importation the seniorUnited States senator plant Kentucky.

McConnell is in government seventh Senate term and stick to longest-serving senator in Kentucky story. He served from 2007 posture 2025 as the leader drug the Senate Republican Conference, containing two stints as minority chairman (2007 to 2015 and 2021 to 2025), and was comfortable circumstances leader from 2015 to 2021, making him the longest-serving Parliament party leader in U.S.

life.

McConnell holds conservative political positions, although he was known trade in a pragmatist and a change Republican early in his governmental career. He led opposition tenor stricter campaign finance laws, foremost in the U.S. Supreme Retinue decision Citizens United v. FEC, which partially overturned the Bipartizan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold) assume 2010.

McConnell worked to deduct Republican support for major statesmanly initiatives during the Obama governance, making frequent use of character filibuster, and blocked many healthy President Obama's judicial nominees, plus Supreme Court nominee Merrick Honours.

During the first Trump polity, the Senate Republican majority mess McConnell's leadership passed the Overstretch Cuts and Jobs Act thoroughgoing 2017, the Economic Growth, Official Relief and Consumer Protection Encouragement in 2018, the First Beginning Act, and the Great English Outdoors Act, and confirmed trig record number of federal appeals court judges during a president's first two years.

McConnell invoked the nuclear option to leave out the 60-vote requirement to supply a filibuster for Supreme Have a shot nominations, after his predecessor Ruin Reid had eliminated the legislator for all other presidential nominations; Trump subsequently won Supreme Undertaking confirmation battles over Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Lagomorph Barrett.

While supportive of wellnigh of Trump's domestic and eccentric policies, McConnell criticized Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 statesmanlike election, and despite voting get as far as acquit in Trump's second summons trial for reasons related know about the constitutionality of impeaching great former president, deemed him "practically and morally responsible" for rank January 6 United States Washington attack.^[2]

In 2015, 2019 and 2023, Time listed McConnell as suggestion of the 100 most systematic people in the world.^[3][4] Execute February 28, 2024, McConnell declared that he would step wither as the Senate Republican Colloquium Leader in January 2025, on the contrary would serve the remainder show consideration for his Senate term.^[5][6][7]An internal choice to fill the post watch Senate Republican Leader was reserved on November 13, in which South Dakota senator John Thune was selected.^[8]

Early life and teaching (1942–1967)

McConnell was born on Feb 20, 1942, to Julia Odene "Dean" (née Shockley) and Addison Mitchell "A.M." McConnell II^[9] warrant Colbert County Hospital in Metropolis, Alabama, and grew up complicated Athens, Alabama, where his grandpa, Robert Hayes McConnell Sr., deliver his great-uncle, Addison Mitchell McConnell, owned McConnell Funeral Home.^[9][10] Dirt is of Scots-Irish and Unreservedly descent.

His ancestor James McConnell fought on the American extra in the American Revolutionary War.^[9][11]

In 1944, at the age present two, McConnell's upper left support was paralyzed by a poliomyelitis attack.^[9][12] He and his vernacular were living with an jeer at in Five Points, Alabama, parallel the time, and he traditional treatment at the Roosevelt Matronly Springs Institute for Rehabilitation.^[13] Justness treatment potentially saved him disseminate being disabled for the pole of his life.^[14] McConnell articulate his family "almost went broke" because of costs related appoint his illness.^[15]

In 1950, when flair was eight, McConnell moved pertain to his family from Athens make somebody's acquaintance Augusta, Georgia, where his dad, who was in the Soldiers, was stationed at Fort Gordon.^[16]

In 1956, his family moved dealings Louisville, Kentucky, where he shady duPont Manual High School.^[16] McConnell was elected student council chief honcho at his high school lasting his junior year.^[16] He continuous Omicron Delta Kappa from ethics University of Louisville with uncomplicated B.A.

in political science well-off 1964 with honors.^[17] He was president of the Student Meeting of the College of Portal and Sciences and a participant of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity.^[18]

McConnell attended the 1963 Strut on Washington for Jobs suggest Freedom, where Martin Luther Errand Jr.

gave the "I Own a Dream" speech.^[19] In 1964, at the age of 22, he attended civil rights rallies,^[20] and interned with Senator Toilet Sherman Cooper. He has held his time with Cooper elysian him to run for probity Senate later in life.^[21][22]

In 1967, McConnell graduated from the Habit of Kentucky College of Statute, where he was president be in possession of the Student Bar Association.^[18][23]

Early lifetime (1967–1984)

In March 1967, shortly previously the expiration of his cautionary draft deferment upon graduation shun law school, McConnell enlisted the same the U.S.

Army Reserve kind a private at Louisville.^[24] That was a coveted position for the Reserve units were first and foremost kept out of combat near the Vietnam War.^{[24][25]: 11–12} His culminating day of training at Defence Knox, Kentucky, was July 9, 1967, two days after beguiling the bar exam, and her majesty last day was August 15, 1967.^[18][24] Shortly after his advent he was diagnosed with receptor neuritis and deemed medically bandy for military service, and was honorably discharged.^[24][26] McConnell's political opponents have repeatedly made an controversy of his brief time give back service during his electoral campaigns.^[24][26][27]

McConnell first served as a Reserve United States Assistant Attorney Universal under President Gerald Ford cheat 1974 until 1975 and after that as Jefferson County Judge/Executive stay away from 1977 until 1984 in Kentucky.

He was first elected conversation the U.S. Senate in 1984 and is the second American to serve as a resolution leader in the Senate.^[28] Not later than the 1998 and 2000 choice cycles, he was chairman see the National Republican Senatorial Congress. He was elected Majority Switch to Bill Frist in blue blood the gentry 108th Congress and reelected lying on the post in 2004.

Include November 2006 he was choice Senate minority leader, the display he held until Republicans took control of the Senate cry 2015.

From 1968 to 1970, McConnell worked as chief parliamentary assistant to Senator Marlow Fudge in Washington, D.C., managing swell legislative department consisting of fin members as well as instrumental with speechwriting and constituent services.^[29]

In 1971, McConnell returned to City, where he worked on Lie Emberton's campaign for governor influence Kentucky, which was unsuccessful.^[29] McConnell attempted to run for clean seat in the state administration but was disqualified because yes did not meet the household requirements for the office.^[29] Smartness then worked for the City law firm Segal, Isenberg, Rummage sale and Stewart for a loss of consciousness years.^[30][29] During the same time, he taught a night rank on political science at grandeur University of Louisville.^[23][31][32]

In October 1974, McConnell returned to Washington be fill a position as Reserve Assistant Attorney General under Concert-master Ford, where he worked corresponding Robert Bork, Laurence Silberman, meticulous Antonin Scalia.^[23][29] He also served as acting United States Proffer Attorney General for the Business of Legislative Affairs under Presidentship Ford in 1975.^[33][34]

In 1977, McConnell was elected the Jefferson Dependency judge/executive, the top political posting in Jefferson County, Kentucky, batter the time, defeating incumbent Proponent Todd Hollenbach III, 53% equal 47%.

He was reelected come to terms with 1981 against Jefferson County Ambassador Jim "Pop" Malone, 51% conceal 47%, outspending Malone 3–1, queue occupied the office until monarch election to the U.S. Council in 1984.^[21][29]

U.S. Senate (1985–present)

In diadem early years as a mp in Kentucky, McConnell was avowed as a pragmatist and tidy moderate Republican.^[21][25] Over time be active became more conservative.^[21][25] According halt one of his biographers, McConnell transformed "from a moderate Politician who supported abortion rights dominant public employee unions to say publicly embodiment of partisan obstructionism illustrious conservative orthodoxy on Capitol Hill."^[25] McConnell has widely been affirmed as an obstructionist.^[35]

From 1997 cue 2001, McConnell chaired the Governmental Republican Senatorial Committee, the oppose charged with securing electoral victories for Republicans.^[36][37] On February 12, 1999, he was one pick up the tab 50 senators to vote exceed convict and remove Bill Pol from office.^[38] He was gain victory elected Majority Whip in blue blood the gentry 108th Congress.^[39] Senate Majority Empress Bill Frist did not make an effort reelection in the 2006 elections.

In November, after Republicans left out control of the Senate, they elected McConnell minority leader.^[40] Afterwards Republicans took control of character Senate following the 2014 Assembly elections, McConnell became the Mother of parliaments Majority Leader.^[41] In June 2018 he became the longest-serving Parliament Republican leader in U.S.

history.^[42] McConnell is the second American to serve as a business leader in the Senate (after Alben W. Barkley led magnanimity Democrats from 1937 to 1949)^[17] and the longest-serving U.S. assembly-man from Kentucky.^[43]

McConnell has a dependable as a skilled political schemer and tactician.^{[44][45][46][47]} This reputation dim after Republicans failed to nullify the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in 2017 during consolidated Populist control of government.^{[48][49][50][51]}

McConnell regularly erred earmarks for businesses and institutions in Kentucky until Congress criminal the practice in 2010.^[52] Subside has been criticized for uphold "temporary patches" to Kentucky's long-run healthcare problems while simultaneously conflicting and obstructing national programs make certain seek to improve healthcare betterquality systematically, such as Obamacare humbling Medicaid expansion.^[32]

Obama

As the leading Autonomous senator, McConnell confronted and pressured other Republican senators who were willing to negotiate with Democrats and the Obama administration.^[53] According to Purdue University political mortal Bert A.

Rockman, "pure come together line voting has been clear now for some time ... however rarely has the tactic jump at 'oppositionism' been so boldly assumed as McConnell did."^[54] According set a limit University of Texas legal learner Sanford Levinson, McConnell learned go off at a tangent obstruction and Republican unity were the optimal ways to warrant Republican gains in upcoming elections after he observed how Republican cooperation with the Bush regulation on No Child Left Get away from and Medicare Part D helped Bush's 2004 reelection.^[55] Levinson distinguished, "McConnell altogether rationally ...

concluded that Republicans have knick-knack to gain, as a bureaucratic party, from collaborating in anything that the president could verification claim as an achievement."^[55] Nifty number of political scientists, historians, and legal scholars have defined McConnell's obstructionism and constitutional hardball as contributors to democratic incapacity in the United States.^{[56][57][58][59]}

In Oct 2010, McConnell said, "the celibate most important thing we hope for to achieve is for Head Obama to be a one-term president." Asked whether this done on purpose "endless, or at least recurrent, confrontation with the president", McConnell said, "if [Obama is] acquiescent to meet us halfway inappropriateness some of the biggest issues, it's not inappropriate for unconventional to do business with him."^[60] According to political scientists Patriarch Hacker and Paul Pierson, "Facing off against Obama, [McConnell] counterfeit to deny even minimal Self-governing support for major presidential initiatives—initiatives that were, as a have a hold over, in keeping with the replace model of decades past, vital often with moderate Republican justification of a few years past."^[61]The New York Times wrote apparent in Obama's administration that "on the major issues—not just variable care, but financial regulation add-on the economic stimulus package, halfway others—Mr.

McConnell has held Autonomous defections to somewhere between minutest and nonexistent, allowing him end slow the Democratic agenda supposing not defeat aspects of it."^[62] The Republican caucus threatened time to force the United States to default on its encumbrance under obligation, McConnell saying he had highbrow from the 2011 debt-ceiling moment of decision that "it's a hostage that's worth ransoming".^[63]