Republican Mitch McConnell will retire from Senate after 2026 election

The Kentucky lawmaker, whose skills as a political power broker led to a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, announced his retirement from the Senate on his 83rd birthday

Republican US Senator Mitch McConnell, who acquired the moniker "Grim Reaper" as the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, said on Thursday he will not seek reelection in 2026, ending a decades-long career that helped steer American politics decisively to the right.

The Kentucky lawmaker, whose skills as a political power broker led to a 6-3 conservative majority on the Supreme Court, announced his retirement from the Senate on his 83rd birthday, describing his experience in the chamber since 1985 as "the honour of a lifetime."