Mitch McConnell stepping down as Senate Republican leader, ending historic 17-year run

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, announced Wednesday he will step away from leadership role in November ending a record-setting tenure and ceding more influence on Donald Trump and the hardliners who have come to define the party.

McConnell, who has represented Kentucky in the Senate since 1985 and has been his party’s leader since 2007, would serve out his full Senate term ending in 2027, but had been more unclear about whether he would try to remain leader after November.