AURN News with Ebony McMorris

Mitch McConnell, 82, To Step Down As GOP Senate Leader

Ebony McMorris
February 28, 2024

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will step down as GOP leader in November. He made the announcement on the Senate floor, saying it’s time for the next generation of leadership.

“Now it’s 2024. I’m now 82. As Ecclesiastes tells us to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose,” McConnell said.

He will serve out the remainder of his term, which ends in January 2027. He is the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history, as he’s been elected to lead the Republican conference nine times since 2006.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks to a reporter at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 19, 2022. (AP Photo/Amanda Andrade-Rhoades)

“I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. However, I’ll complete my job. My colleagues are giving me until we select a new leader in November and they take the helm next January. Father time remains undefeated. I’m no longer the young man sitting in the back hoping colleagues would remember my name. It’s time for the next generation of leadership.”

Click play to listen to the report from AURN White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris. For more news, follow @E_N_McMorris & @aurnonline.

White House Correspondent Ebony McMorris is a native Washingtonian and University of South Carolina alumna. Her passion is mentoring young adults by teaching community empowerment and media education. She is an NAB member and board member of the Thurgood Marshall Center and was presented the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award for contributing more than 4,000 hours of community service under the Obama Administration.