cnn
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Here's a look at the life of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky.
Birthdate: February 20, 1942
Place of birth: Colbert County (Alabama)
Birth name: Addison Mitchell McConnell Jr.
Father: Addison Mitchell McConnell
Mother: Julia (Shockley) McConnell
Marriages: Elaine Chao (1993-present); Sherrill Redmon (1968-1980, divorced)
Children: with Sherrill Redmon: Porter; Clear; Eleanor
Education: University of Louisville, B.A., 1964; University of Kentucky, Doctor of Laws, 1967
Religion: Baptist
He contracted polio at age 2 and was not allowed to walk for two years while he completed physical therapy.
His wife, Elaine Chao, was secretary of the Department of Labor under President George W. Bush and deputy secretary of the Department of Transportation under President George HW Bush. Chao served as secretary of the Department of Transportation under President Donald Trump.
1968-1970 – Chief Legislative Assistant to Senator Marlow Cook.
1974-1975 – Deputy Assistant United States Attorney for Legislative Affairs.
1975 – Acting Deputy Attorney General.
1978-1985 – Judge Executive of Jefferson County, Kentucky.
1984 – Elected to the United States Senate to represent Kentucky.
1990 – Re-elected to the United States Senate.
nineteen ninety six – Re-elected to the United States Senate.
2002 – Re-elected to the United States Senate.
2003-2007 – Republican Senate Whip.
November 16, 2006 – Elected Republican leader of the Senate. McConnell replaces Bill Frist.
January 4, 2007-January 6, 2015 – Senate Minority Leader.
2008 – Re-elected to the United States Senate.
October 23, 2010 – During an interview with the National Journal, McConnell says: “The most important thing we want to achieve is that the President [Barack] “Obama will be a one-term president.”
November 4, 2014 – Re-elected to the United States Senate.
November 13, 2014 – McConnell is re-elected leader of the Republican Party in the Senate. When Congress reconvenes in January 2015, McConnell will replace Harry Reid as Senate Majority Leader.
January 6, 2015–January 20, 2021 – Senate Majority Leader.
December 12, 2016 – Announces support for a congressional investigation into findings that Russian hackers attempted to influence the election.
June 12, 2018 – He becomes the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history, surpassing former Senator Robert Dole's record.
August 4, 2019 – McConnell fractures his shoulder after falling at his home in Kentucky. “This morning, Leader McConnell tripped in the yard outside his home and suffered a broken shoulder,” David Popp, McConnell's communications director, said in a statement. “He has been treated, released and is working from his home in Louisville.”
August 15, 2019 – McConnell undergoes surgery to repair his broken shoulder. “The surgery was performed without incident and the Leader is grateful to the surgical team for his skill,” Popp says in a statement.
November 3, 2020 – He wins re-election to the United States Senate, defeating Democratic opponent Amy McGrath and her massive fundraising efforts to unseat him.
November 10, 2020 – McConnell is re-elected as Senate party leader, but which party has the majority in the Senate will not be determined until two runoff elections are held in Georgia in January.
December 15, 2020 – Six weeks after Election Day, McConnell finally recognizes Joe Biden's victory and refers to him as president-elect.
January 2, 2021 – Police report that McConnell's home has been vandalized. The damage comes after the Senate stopped increasing stimulus checks to $2,000. The home of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the other highest-ranking member of Congress, was vandalized the day before.
January 20, 2021-present – Senate Minority Leader.
February 13, 2021 – McConnell squarely blames former President Trump for instigating last month's riot at the Capitol, but votes to acquit him of inciting an insurrection anyway.
November 16, 2022 – He wins a leadership election by secret ballot, putting him on track to become the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history. McConnell defeats Florida Sen. Rick Scott in a 37-10-1 vote, his first challenger in his 15 years at the top of his conference.
March 8, 2023 – McConnell is being treated for a concussion and remains in a hospital for observation after a fall at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington, DC.
July 26, 2023 – McConnell stops speaking in the middle of his remarks at his regularly scheduled weekly news conference on Capitol Hill. After a 30-second pause, his colleagues came over to see if he was okay and asked him how he was feeling. He later tells reporters that he is “fine.”
August 30, 2023 – He appears to freeze for about 30 seconds while speaking to reporters after a speech in Covington, Kentucky.
February 28, 2024 – McConnell will step down as Republican leader in November, a source tells CNN.
