Mitch McConnell says he won’t run for reelection next year

Former Senate GOP Leader Mitch McConnell said he won’t run for reelection in 2026, and is announcing his impending departure from the Senate on Thursday, his 83rd birthday. 

Mr. McConnell said on the Senate floor that he made the decision not to run again last year. 

“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckyians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell said. “Every day in between, I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business right here. Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.” 

Ahead of his speech on the Senate floor, McConnell told the Associated Press he planned to announce his retirement, and a person familiar with his plans told CBS News McConnell won’t run again. 

McConnell has been a U.S. senator from Kentucky since 1985, and he announced one year ago that he would relinquish his leadership role in he Senate. He was the Senate Republican leader from 2007-2025 and is the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history. McConnell was the majority leader from 2015-2021.

The Kentucky Republican’s retirement from the Senate was widely expected. 

McConnell, a polio survivor, has experienced health issues in recent years, including freezing episodes and falls. Those who have spent time around him recently said he’s experiencing some reemergence of polio symptoms that are known to afflict older survivors of the disease. He’s been wheelchair-bound since a recent fall in the U.S. Capitol.