Republican leader McConnell (82 years old) will resign from his duties as of November outside
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.
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