Sen. Mitch McConnell announces retirement, won’t seek reelection in 2026

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., announced he is retiring at the end of his current term and will not seek reelection in 2026. It marks the end of a 40-year tenure in the Senate, during which he oversaw a transformation of the nation’s federal courts. 

“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell said in a speech first shared with The Associated Press. “Every day in between I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business 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.”