Mitch McConnell to step down as Republican Senate leader

Mitch McConnell (R-KY) will step down as the Senate Republican leader in November after nearly two decades in that role.

The Kentucky Republican, who turned 82 years old last week, plans to announce his decision Wednesday from the well of the Senate, where he has served since 1985, reported the Associated Press.

“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter,” he said in prepared remarks obtained by the news organization. “So I stand before you today ... to say that this will be my last term as Republican leader of the Senate.”

McConnell spent almost six weeks away from the Senate last spring after a fall that injured his head, and he twice froze up in the months afterward while speaking to reporters, although he said his decision was unrelated to his health.

He plans to serve out his Senate term until it ends in January 2027.

ALSO READ: ‘Leave the drama to them:’ Mother of Lauren Boebert’s grandson speaks out

“As I have been thinking about when I would deliver some news to the Senate, I always imagined a moment when I had total clarity and peace about the sunset of my work,” McConnell said in his prepared remarks. “A moment when I am certain I have helped preserve the ideals I so strongly believe. It arrived today.”

McConnell came to be a critic of former president Donald Trump, and his allies have called for him to step down as GOP leader.