After Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) announced he would step down as the GOP leader at the end of his term this fall, he received a standing ovation from his Republican colleagues as he entered a weekly lunch meeting on Wednesday afternoon, according to sources familiar.
McConnell, who turned 82 last week, announced his decision from the Senate floor, the place he became leader in 2006.
“His tenure as leader will be remembered not just for its historic longevity but also for his unparalleled devotion to this great institution, which he has always defended,” said Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), a key ally of the Senate leader. “I also admired the leader for stepping forward when it wasn’t popular to do the right thing for our country and for our world.”
“I felt compelled to speak today to thank him, to thank him for devoting his life to public service for all the right reasons, to improve the lives of the people living in our great country,” Collins added.
Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA), a member of Senate GOP leadership as chairwoman of the Republican Policy Committee, also praised McConnell’s “historic leadership” in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“The Senate would not be the same today without his respect for the institution and commitment to conservative values,” Ernst said.
Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT), head of the Republican Senate campaign arm, acknowledged some of McConnell’s achievements.
“He played a major role in providing historic tax relief for the American people while protecting the fundamental right to freedom of speech,” Daines said in a statement. “He will be remembered not only as the longest-serving party leader in the history of the Senate but a consummate gentleman and committed public servant.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) also highlighted McConnell’s humble beginnings and his work cementing a conservative majority on the Supreme Court and on the federal bench.
“No member of Congress has played a greater role in reshaping the federal judiciary than Mitch. I join my colleagues in saluting his historic contributions to the Republican Party and to the Congress. His legacy will endure for generations,” Johnson said in a statement.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) also praised his Republican counterpart, even though he admitted they “rarely saw eye to eye when it came” to politics or policy preferences.
“I am very proud that we both came together in the last few years to lead the Senate forward at critical moments when our country needed us, like passing the CARES Act in the early days of the COVID pandemic, finishing our work to certify the election on Jan. 6, and more recently working together to fund the fight for Ukraine,” Schumer said.
However, some members took a victory lap after McConnell’s announcement. A group of Republican senators have publicly opposed his tenure and attempted to oust him during leadership elections in late 2022. Even after he won the election, there’s been increasing dissatisfaction from his right flank. The Republican leader has already been forced to pick fights with this group of Republicans on raising the debt ceiling, government funding, and foreign aid.
“This is a good development. My question is why wait so long? November is a long time away. We have a lot to achieve between now and then. We need new leadership now,” said Sen. John Hawley (R-MO), a longtime McConnell critic. “But, this is better than nothing.”
The Democratic Senate campaign arm issued a warning about McConnell’s eventual replacement.
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“Led by Sen. McConnell, Senate Republicans have opposed Americans’ most important priorities and values — and his successor will lead Senate Republicans to embrace an even more dangerous agenda,” said David Bergstein, Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee communications director.
“A national ban on abortion, the overturn of the Affordable Care Act, an end to Medicare and Social Security, and greater attacks on our rights and freedoms are the consequences if this next generation of MAGA Republicans gain control of the Senate,” Bergstein added.