The Republican Party that stood during Sen. Mitch McConnell's early years as leader is not the one in place now as he retires.

Mitch McConnell, perhaps the greatest strategist in Senate history, recently announced he would be retiring from politics after seven terms. This brought on celebration from MAGA Republicans, who detest the Kentuckian with the heat of a thousand suns.

The announced retirement of Senator Mitch McConnell, the erstwhile longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history and one of the most consequential lawmakers of his era, was not unexpected. McConnell is among the older members of a largely geriatric Senate—his announcement that he would not seek an eighth term in office came on his eighty-third birthday—and has struggled with a series of health issues in recent years.

U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell announced on Thursday he does not plan ... either party in the history of the Senate,” according to the U.S. Senate. McConnell acted as the GOP Senate leader during Trump’s presidency, but the relationship was severed ...

After 40 years in Washington, McConnell walks away with his legacy in doubt because of GOP surrender to Trump.

While he championed conservative causes, McConnell ultimately saw his influence challenged by the rise of Trump-era GOP populism.

The Kentucky senator is stepping down after a consequential career. Whether Americans benefited from his triumphs, however, is another matter entirely.

Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell has announced that he won’t seek reelection next year, ending a decadeslong tenure as a power broker who championed conservative causes but ultimately ceded ground to the fierce GOP populism of President Donald Trump.

Former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R), who recently launched a bid for the seat being vacated by Sen. Mitch McConnell (R), criticized his fellow Kentuckian for voting against

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell speaks at a Kentucky Farm Bureau forum in August 2020. McConnell has been in the Senate since 1984, serving as the GOP's Senate leader from 2007 through 2024. Democrats dominated the state when he was first elected to federal office.

The scramble to fill Mitch McConnell’s Senate seat in Kentucky began as soon as the Republican revealed he won’t seek reelection in 2026.