Mitch McConnell is scheduled to step down as Republican Party leader in the US Senate next November. The 82-year-old senator said Wednesday that he intends to remain a member. McConnell is one of the most influential figures in his party.
McConnell said he was “not the youngest anymore” and that it was time to hand over leadership to a new generation. He has been the Republican leader in the Senate for nearly seventeen years. This is the longest consecutive period in the party's history.
The 82-year-old senator looks forward to his future in the Senate. “I still have the energy to severely disappoint my critics, and I intend to do so with all the enthusiasm with which they are accustomed,” McConnell said.
There have been long-standing concerns about McConnell's health. At a press conference last year, for example, he was silent for about half a minute and seemed to forget what he wanted to say.
McConnell has been a member of the Senate since 1985. However, he is neither the longest-serving senator nor the oldest. Those titles go to his ninety-year-old party colleague Chuck Grassley, who remains in the Senate for another four years. McConnell has a reputation as a strategically strong senator.
McConnell says he's confident members of his party will find a good successor.
“Pop culture enthusiast. Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Analyst. Student. Explorer.”