Commonwealth Policy Center

Senator Mitch McConnell announced that he will be stepping down as the Republican Minority Leader in the U.S. Senate. McConnell is the longest serving Senate leader in history and said, “One of life’s most under appreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter… It’s time for the next generation of leadership.” McConnell is known for shrewdly navigating the intricacies of process in the Senate. His greatest accomplishment in his own words is that of forming a conservative U.S. Supreme Court by helping to confirm three conservative justices: Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Coney Barrett. Even though McConnell was hated by many both inside and outside the GOP, perhaps his skill to hold the Senate together in a fractious political time will someday be better appreciated.