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Mitch McConnellREPRepublican United States Senator
82
Years of Age
39
Years of Experience
KYResidence (state)

Addison Mitchell McConnell III (mə-KON-əl; born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney who has served as Senate Minority Leader since 2021 and the senior United States senator from Kentucky since 1985, the longest serving senator in his state's history. He previously served as minority leader from 2007 to 2015, majority leader from 2015 to 2021 and was majority whip from 2003 to 2007. McConnell has been the leader of the Senate Republican Conference since 2007, making him the longest serving Senate party leader in U.S. history. McConnell holds conservative political positions, although he was known as a pragmatist and a moderate Republican early in his political career. He led opposition to stricter campaign finance laws, culminating in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Citizens United v. FEC that partially overturned the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold) in 2010. McConnell worked to withhold Republican support for major presidential initiatives during the Obama administration, having made frequent use of the filibuster, and blocked many of President Obama's judicial nominees, including Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. During the Trump administration, the Senate Republican majority under his leadership passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the Economic Growth, Regulatory Relief and Consumer Protection Act in 2018, the First Step Act, the Great American Outdoors Act, and confirmed a record number of federal appeals court judges during a president's first two years. McConnell invoked the nuclear option to eliminate the 60-vote requirement to end a filibuster for Supreme Court nominations, after his predecessor Harry Reid had previously eliminated the filibuster for all other presidential nominations; Trump subsequently won confirmation battles on Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court. While supportive of many of Trump's domestic and foreign policies, McConnell was critical of Trump's attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and despite voting to acquit on Trump's second impeachment trial on reasons related to the constitutionality of impeaching a former president, deemed him "practically and morally responsible" for the January 6 United States Capitol attack.

Voterly's Issue Scores  (1 - 30 of 30)

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Special Interest Group Ratings

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Rating
Interest Groups That OPPOSE
Rating
Average Score

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Campaign Funding

20
18
$26,225,399
Total Raised
$30,013,818
Total Spent
$3,595,456
Cash on Hand
Top Industries  (1 - 4 of 10) View All Industries
99%
Securities & Investment$2,100,062
52%
Retired$1,105,341
45%
Insurance$950,775
43%
Lawyers/Law Firms$919,761
41%
Real Estate$878,665
39%
Oil & Gas$836,364
39%
Health Professionals$822,670
35%
Lobbyists$740,085
28%
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products$596,686
23%
Leadership PACs$489,712
Direct campaign contributions grouped by the industry industry of each donor/PAC.

Largest Contributors

Funding generally from an organization's PAC or its members/employees. Organizations did not donate directly.
Financial Data Source: Center for Responsive Politics
Education6 - 6 of 4
University of Louisville
Bachelor of Arts
1964
University of Kentucky
duPont Manual High School
University of Kentucky College of Law
Juris Doctor
1967
Past Positions1 - 12 of 12
Minority Leader
United States Senate
2021 - Current
Majority Leader
United States Senate
2015 - 2021
Minority Leader
United States Senate
2007 - 2015
Republican Whip
United States Senate
2003 - 2007
Senator
United States Senate, Kentucky
1985 - Current
Judge-Executive
Jefferson County
1978 - 1985
Acting Assistant
United States Attorney General
1975
Deputy Assistant
United States Attorney General
1974 - 1975
Employee
Tom Emberton Campaign for Kentucky Governor
1971
Chief Legislative Assistant
United States Senator Marlow Cook
1968 - 1970
Served
United States Army Reserve
1967
Intern
Senator John Sherman Cooper
1964
Other Experience1 - 19 of 19
Member
Sons of the American Revolution
2013 - Current
Chair
National Republican Senatorial Committee
1998
Chair
National Republican Senatorial Committee
2000
Founder
James Madison Center for Free Speech
1997
Member
National Institute of Justice
1982 - 1984
Chair
Kentucky Task Force on Exploited and Missing Children
1982
President
Kentucky Association of County Judge/Executives
1982
Member
National Child Tragedies Coalition
1981
Member
Kentucky Bar Association
1967
Former President
University of Kentucky Student Bar Association
Member
Board of Selectors, Jefferson Awards for Public Service
Vice Chair
Ethics Study Commission
Former Chair
Select Committee on Ethics, United States Senate
Former Member
Select Committee on Intelligence, United States Senate
Former Member
Livestock, Marketing, and Agriculture Security Subcommittee, United States Senate
Former Member
Conservation, Forestry, and Natural Resources Subcommittee, United States Senate
Former Member
Subcommittee on Rural Development and Energy
Former Member
Subcommittee on Nutrition, Agricultural Research, and Specialty Crops, United States Senate
Member
Tennessee Valley Authority Caucus