Senator Mitch McConnell, the 82-year-old longtime Republican leader, has indicated he plans to stay in the U.S. Senate — and critics said his plans put him on the side of the Democratic Party.
Citing a desire to continue advocating for military aid to Ukraine against populist voices within the GOP calling for reduced involvement, McConnell said he’ll stick around until the end of his term and fight for moderate Republican issues — which puts him firmly against the America First shift led by former President Donald Trump.
In an interview with Louisville radio station WHAS on Monday, McConnell was asked about his “mindset” looking ahead.
“I’m not leaving the Senate,” the Kentucky senator vowed. “I’m particularly involved in actually fighting back against the isolationist movement in my own party … And the symbol of that lately is ‘Are we gonna help Ukraine or not?'”
McConnell, who announced in February his intention to step down as Senate Republican leader at the end of this Congress, explained, “I’ve got this sort of on my mind for the next couple years as something I’m going to focus on.”
McConnell’s final term in the U.S. Senate doesn’t end until 2027.
He took specific aim at lawmakers like Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky who have expressed opposition to continuing U.S. financial support for the war effort against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“What’s made it more troublesome is, it seems to me, others are heading in that direction, making arguments that are easily refuted,” McConnell argued.
The long-serving senator, first elected in 1984, cautioned about risks of a Russian victory and said it could drag the United States directly into the war.
“If the Russians take Ukraine, some NATO country would be next and then we will be right in the middle of it,” he said.
McConnell’s comments mark the latest campaign by the Republican moderate leader to marshal opposition against the “isolationist” wing of his party that has grown more vocal about declining further military involvement abroad until the U.S.-Mexico border crisis is solved.
Q: “What’s your mindset now when your feet hit the floor in the morning?”
McConnell: "I'm not leaving the Senate. And I'm particularly involved in fighting back against the isolationist movement in my own party. The symbol lately is ‘are we gonna help Ukraine or not.’” pic.twitter.com/VHZprlxMGY
— Greg Price (@greg_price11) April 1, 2024
With his own future leadership ambitions set aside for now, the senator is positioning himself as a counterweight to the America First wing on the defining foreign policy issue of the day.
McConnell’s critics have long accused him of failing to address domestic policy concerns like rising national debt, illegal immigration, and wage stagnation for American workers during his decades-long tenure.
His tenure also spanned major events like the 2008 financial crisis, enactment of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, and the free speech debates around major tech platforms.
As the Ukraine war grinds on, McConnell’s decision to remain a high-profile voice in the Senate ensures the escalating intraparty battle over the scope of U.S. involvement will only intensify heading into the next Congress and 2024 presidential campaign cycle.
The Horn editorial team