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In [[United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2002|2002]], he was re-elected against Lois Combs Weinberg by 26.4%, the largest majority by a Republican candidate in Kentucky history. In [[United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2008|2008]], after a close campaign, he defeated [[Bruce Lunsford]] by 6%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationaljournal.com/almanac/2008/people/ky/kys1.php |title=National Journal Almanac 2008 |publisher=Nationaljournal.com |accessdate=February 24, 2013}}</ref>
In [[United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2002|2002]], he was re-elected against Lois Combs Weinberg by 26.4%, the largest majority by a Republican candidate in Kentucky history. In [[United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2008|2008]], after a close campaign, he defeated [[Bruce Lunsford]] by 6%.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationaljournal.com/almanac/2008/people/ky/kys1.php |title=National Journal Almanac 2008 |publisher=Nationaljournal.com |accessdate=February 24, 2013}}</ref>


In [[United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2014|2014]], McConnell faced Louisville businessman [[Matt Bevin]] in the Republican primary.<ref>{{cite news|last=Killough|first=Ashley|title=Conservative challenger takes on top Senate Republican|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/24/conservative-challenger-takes-on-top-senate-republican/?hpt=po_c2|publisher=CNN|date=July 24, 2013}}</ref> The 60.2% won by McConnell is the lowest voter support for a Kentucky U.S. Senator in a primary by either party since 1938.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cspg/smartpolitics/2014/05/mcconnell_records_weakest_kent.php |title=McConnell Records Weakest Kentucky US Senate Incumbent Primary Victory in 75+ Years |work=Smart Politics |first=Eric |last=Ostermeier |date= May 20, 2014}}</ref> He will face Democrat [[Alison Lundergan Grimes]] in the general election.
In [[United States Senate election in Kentucky, 2014|2014]], McConnell faced Louisville businessman [[Matt Bevin]] in the Republican primary.<ref>{{cite news|last=Killough|first=Ashley|title=Conservative challenger takes on top Senate Republican|url=http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/24/conservative-challenger-takes-on-top-senate-republican/?hpt=po_c2|publisher=CNN|date=July 24, 2013}}</ref> The 60.2% won by McConnell is the lowest voter support for a Kentucky U.S. Senator in a primary by either party since 1938.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blog.lib.umn.edu/cspg/smartpolitics/2014/05/mcconnell_records_weakest_kent.php |title=McConnell Records Weakest Kentucky US Senate Incumbent Primary Victory in 75+ Years |work=Smart Politics |first=Eric |last=Ostermeier |date= May 20, 2014}}</ref> He will face Democrat [[Alison Lundergan Grimes]] in the general election. In April 2014, McConnell received the endorsement of the [[National Rifle Association]] for his re-election.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/04/12/nra-mitch-mcconnell_n_5139213.html | title=The NRA Puts Its Support Behind Mitch McConnell | publisher=The Huffington Post | date=12 April 2014 | accessdate=14 April 2014 | author=Chris Gentilviso}}</ref>


===Leadership===
===Leadership===

Revision as of 20:35, 17 August 2014

Mitch McConnell
Senate Minority Leader
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2007
WhipTrent Lott
Jon Kyl
John Cornyn
Preceded byHarry Reid
United States Senator
from Kentucky
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 1985
Serving with Rand Paul
Preceded byWalter Huddleston
Senate Majority Whip
In office
January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
LeaderBill Frist
Preceded byHarry Reid
Succeeded byDick Durbin
Personal details
Born
Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr.

(1942-02-20) February 20, 1942 (age 82)
Sheffield, Alabama, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse(s)Sherrill Redmon (1968–1993, divorced)
Elaine Chao (1993–present)
Children3
ResidenceLouisville, Kentucky
Alma materUniversity of Louisville (B.A.)
University of Kentucky (J.D.)
ProfessionLawyer
Signature
Websitewww.McConnell.Senate.gov
Military service
Allegiance United States
Branch/service United States Army
Years of service1967
UnitHeadquarters, 100th Division,
USAR

Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. (born February 20, 1942) is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky. A member of the Republican Party, he has been the Minority Leader of the Senate since January 3, 2007.[1] First elected to that position in 2006, he is the 15th Senate Republican Leader and the second Kentuckian to lead his party in the Senate.[2] He is also the longest serving U.S. Senator in Kentucky history.[3] Currently he is the 7th most-senior Senator, as well as the 4th most senior Republican member.

Early life, education, and military service

Mitch McConnell was born on February 20, 1942 in Sheffield, Alabama in the hospital in Sheffield, which is now called the Helen Keller Hospital, and raised as a young child in nearby Athens.[4] Mitch McConnell was the son of Addison Mitchell McConnell, and his wife, Julia (née Shockley). As a youth he overcame polio.[5] His family moved to Georgia when he was eight.[6]

When he was a teenager his family arrived in Louisville where he attended duPont Manual High School. He graduated with honors from the University of Louisville with a B.A. in political science in 1964. McConnell was president of the Student Council of the College of Arts and Sciences and a member of the Phi Kappa Tau fraternity. He has maintained strong ties to his alma mater and "remains a rabid fan of its sports teams."[7] Three years later, McConnell graduated from the University of Kentucky College of Law, where he was president of the Student Bar Association.

McConnell enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve at Louisville, Kentucky during his last year of law school. He did six months active service at Fort Knox, thereafter serving the active reserve.[8] He received an early discharge for optic neuritis.[9]

Early career

In 1967, to gain experience on Capitol Hill, during his final semester of law school, McConnell was an intern for Senator John Sherman Cooper (R-Ky.). Later, he was an assistant to Senator Marlow Cook (R-Ky.) and was a Deputy Assistant Attorney General under President Gerald R. Ford. From 1978 until his election to the Senate, he was the Jefferson County Judge/Executive, the former top political office in Jefferson County, Kentucky, which includes Louisville, the state's largest city.

U.S. Senate

Elections

In 1984, McConnell ran for the U.S. Senate against two-term Democratic incumbent Walter Dee Huddleston. The election race wasn't decided until the last returns came in, and McConnell won by a thin margin—only 5,200 votes out of more than 1.8 million votes cast, just over 0.4%.[10] McConnell was the only Republican Senate challenger to win that year, despite Ronald Reagan's landslide victory in the presidential election. Part of McConnell's success came from a series of television campaign spots called "Where's Dee", which featured a group of bloodhounds trying to find Huddleston,[11][12] implying that Huddleston's attendance record in the Senate was less than stellar. His campaign bumper stickers and television ads asked voters to "Switch to Mitch".[13] It is likely that he was helped by Ronald Reagan's 21-point win in Kentucky that year.

In 1990, McConnell faced a tough re-election contest against former Louisville Mayor Harvey I. Sloane, winning by 4.4%. In 1996, he defeated Steve Beshear by 12.6%, even as Bill Clinton narrowly carried the state. In keeping with a tradition of humorous and effective television ads in his campaigns, McConnell's campaign ran television ads that warned voters to not "Get BeSheared" and included images of sheep being sheared.[13]

In 2002, he was re-elected against Lois Combs Weinberg by 26.4%, the largest majority by a Republican candidate in Kentucky history. In 2008, after a close campaign, he defeated Bruce Lunsford by 6%.[14]

In 2014, McConnell faced Louisville businessman Matt Bevin in the Republican primary.[15] The 60.2% won by McConnell is the lowest voter support for a Kentucky U.S. Senator in a primary by either party since 1938.[16] He will face Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes in the general election. In April 2014, McConnell received the endorsement of the National Rifle Association for his re-election.[17]

Leadership

During the 1998 and 2000 election cycles, McConnell was chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. Republicans maintained control of the Senate in both. He was first elected as Majority Whip in the 108th Congress and unanimously re-elected on November 17, 2004. Senator Bill Frist, the Majority Leader, did not seek re-election in the 2006 elections. In November 2006, after Republicans lost control of the Senate, they elected McConnell to replace Frist as Minority Leader.

Tenure

McConnell stands in front and directly to the right of President Obama as he signs tax cuts and unemployment insurance legislation on December 17, 2010.

McConnell has supported nuclear arms control initiatives such as the START I treaty, which he voted for in 1992, describing it as "an outstanding agreement".[18][19]

McConnell argues that campaign finance regulations reduce participation in political campaigns and protect incumbents from competition.[20] He spearheaded the movement against the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (known since 1995 as the "McCain–Feingold bill" and from 1989–1994 as the "Boren–Mitchell bill"), calling it "neither fair, nor balanced, nor constitutional."[21] His opposition to the bill culminated in the 2003 Supreme Court case McConnell v. Federal Election Commission and the 2009 Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. McConnell has been an advocate for free speech at least as far back as the early 1970s when he was teaching night courses at the University of Louisville. "No issue has shaped his career more than the intersection of campaign financing and free speech," political reporter Robert Costa wrote in 2012.[22] "Protecting free political speech against campaign finance reform laws has always been one of his main causes," conservative author W. James Antle, III wrote in 2014.[23][24]

McConnell opposed the Flag Desecration Amendment in 2000. According to McConnell: "We must curb this reflexive practice of attempting to cure each and every political and social ill of our nation by tampering with the Constitution. The Constitution of this country was not a rough draft. It was not a rough draft and we should not treat it as such." McConnell offered an amendment to the measure that would have made flag desecration a statutory crime, illegal without amending the Constitution.[25]

In August 2001, McConnell introduced the Common Sense Medical Malpractice Reform Act of 2001. The bill would require that a health care liability action must be initiated within two years, non-economic damages may not exceed $250,000, and punitive damages may only be awarded in specified situations.[26]

In July 2003, McConnell sponsored the Small Business Liability Reform Act of 2003. The bill would protect small businesses from litigation excesses and limit the liability of non-manufacturer product sellers.[27]

In August 2007, McConnell introduced the Protect America Act of 2007, which allowed the National Security Agency to monitor telephone and electronic communications of suspected terrorists outside the United States without obtaining a warrant.[citation needed]

McConnell was the writer of the Gas Price Reduction Act of 2008. The GPRA calls for more offshore and domestic oil exploration, to try to curb rising gas prices.[citation needed]

In June 2008, McConnell introduced the Alternative Minimum Tax and Extenders Tax Relief Act of 2008. The bill was intended to limit the impact of the Alternative Minimum Tax.[28]

McConnell with President Barack Obama, August 2010.

In September 2010, McConnell sponsored the Tax Hike Prevention Act of 2010. The bill would have permanently extended the tax relief provisions of 2001 and 2003 and provided permanent Alternative Minimum Tax and estate tax relief.[29]

In 2010, McConnell requested earmarks for the defense contractor BAE Systems while the company was under investigation by the Department of Justice for alleged bribery of foreign officials.[30][unreliable source?]

McConnell opposed President Obama's health reform legislation; he voted against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (commonly called ObamaCare or the Affordable Care Act) in December 2009,[31] and he voted against the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.[32] In 2014, McConnell repeated his call for the full repeal of Obamacare and said that Kentucky should be allowed to keep the state's health insurance exchange, Kynect, or set up a similar system.[33]

In June 2011, McConnell introduced a Constitutional Balanced Budget Amendment. The amendment would require two-thirds votes in Congress to increase taxes or for federal spending to exceed the current year's tax receipts or 18% of the prior year's GDP. The amendment specifies situations when these requirements would be waived.[34]

In December 2012, McConnell called for a vote on giving the president unilateral authority to raise the federal debt ceiling. When Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) called for an up or down vote, McConnell objected to the vote and ended up filibustering it himself.[35] In 2014, McConnell voted to help break Ted Cruz's filibuster attempt against a debt limit increase and then against the bill itself.[36]

On the weekend of January 19–21, 2013, the McConnell for Senate campaign emailed and robo-called gun-rights supporters telling them that "President Obama and his team are doing everything in their power to restrict your constitutional right to keep and bear arms." McConnell also said, "I'm doing everything in my power to protect your 2nd Amendment rights."[37] On April 17, 2013, McConnell voted against expanding background checks for gun purchases.[38]

McConnell was the only party leader in Congress to oppose the resolution that would authorize military strikes against Syria in September 2013, citing a lack of national security risk.[39]

In an interview with National Journal magazine published October 23, 2010, McConnell explained that "the single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president." Asked whether this meant "endless, or at least frequent, confrontation with the president," McConnell clarified that "if [Obama is] willing to meet us halfway on some of the biggest issues, it's not inappropriate for us to do business with him."[40]

After two intersessions to get federal grants for Alltech, whose president T. Pearse Lyons made subsequent campaign contributions to McConnell, to build a plant in Kentucky for producing ethanol from algae, corncobs, and switchgrass, McConnell criticized President Obama in 2012 for twice mentioning biofuel production from algae in a speech touting his "all-of-the-above" energy policy.[41][42]

On March 27, 2014, McConnell introduced the United States International Programming to Ukraine and Neighboring Regions bill, which would provide additional funding and instructions to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in response to the 2014 Crimea crisis.[43][44]

In April 2014, the United States Senate debated the Paycheck Fairness Act (S. 2199; 113th Congress). It was a bill that "punishes employers for retaliating against workers who share wage information, puts the justification burden on employers as to why someone is paid less and allows workers to sue for punitive damages of wage discrimination."[45] McConnell said that he opposed the legislation because it would "line the pockets of trial lawyers" not help women.[45]

In July 2014, McConnell expressed opposition to a U.S. Senate bill that would limit the practice of corporate inversion by U.S. corporations seeking to limit U.S. tax liability.[46]

Iraq War

McConnell initially voted for the Iraq War, has supported the "troop surge," and opposed a timetable for withdrawal from the country. McConnell remains one of the strongest supporters of the Iraq War, which he considers a central part of the War on Terrorism.[citation needed]

In 2004, during the debate over the FY2005 Defense Authorization Act, McConnell offered an alternative amendment (S.AMDT.3472) to that proposed by Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.). McConnell's amendment required the president to submit a public report to Congress on the strategy of U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq regarding stabilization and rebuilding no later than 120 days after the bill passed. Opponents argued the measure was not strong enough, for unlike that proposed by Kennedy, it did not require President Bush to provide an estimate regarding future troop levels in Iraq. The amendment passed, unlike Kennedy's, in a 71-27 vote.[47]

In 2006, McConnell publicly criticized Senate Democrats for urging that troops be brought back from Iraq.[48] According to Bush's Decision Points memoir, however, McConnell was privately urging the then President to "bring some troops home from Iraq" to lessen the political risks. McConnell's hometown paper, the Louisville Courier-Journal, in an editorial titled "McConnell's True Colors", criticized McConnell for his actions and asked him to "explain why the fortunes of the Republican Party are of greater importance than the safety of the United States."[49]

Regarding the failure of the Iraqi government to make reforms, McConnell said the following on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: "The Iraqi government is a huge disappointment. Republicans overwhelmingly feel disappointed about the Iraqi government. I read just this week that a significant number of the Iraqi parliament want to vote to ask us to leave. I want to assure you, Wolf, if they vote to ask us to leave, we'll be glad to comply with their request."[50]

On April 21, 2009, McConnell delivered a speech to the Senate criticizing President Obama's plans to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba.[51][52] During the speech, he suggested that Obama's closure plans might result in the release of "murderers" into the U.S. He also asserted that the Department of Defense had identified 18 former Guantanamo prisoners who allegedly returned to battle, whom he called "recidivists", and he predicted that the closure of the camp would result in additional former captives returning to the battlefield.[citation needed]

Fundraising
McConnell at the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.

From 2003 to 2008, the list of McConnell's top 20 donors included five financial/investment firms: UBS, FMR Corporation (Fidelity Investments), Citigroup, Bank of New York and Merrill Lynch.[53]

In April 2010, while Congress was considering financial reform legislation, a reporter asked McConnell if he was "doing the bidding of the large banks." McConnell has received more money in donations from the "Finance, Insurance and Real Estate" sector than any other sector according to the Center for Responsive Politics.[53][54] McConnell responded "I'd say that that's inaccurate. You could talk to the community bankers in Kentucky." The Democratic Party's plan for financial reform is actually a way to institute "endless taxpayer funded bailouts for big Wall Street banks", said McConnell. He expressed concern that the proposed $50 billion, bank-funded fund that would be used to liquidate financial firms that could collapse "would of course immediately signal to everyone that the government is ready to bail out large banks".[53][54] In McConnell's home state of Kentucky, the Lexington Herald-Leader ran an editorial saying: "We have read that the Republicans have a plan for financial reform, but McConnell isn't talking up any solutions, just trashing the other side's ideas with no respect for the truth."[55]

On January 2, 2013, the Public Campaign Action Fund, a nonprofit group that backs stronger campaign finance regulation, released a report highlighting eight instances from McConnell's political career in which a vote or a blocked vote (filibuster), coincided with an influx of campaign contributions to McConnell's campaign.[56] [57] Progress Kentucky, a SuperPAC focused on defeating McConnell in 2014, hosted a press conference in front of the Senator's Louisville office to highlight the report's findings.[58][59]

Committee assignments

Electoral history

Elections are shown with a map depicting county-by-county information. McConnell is shown in red and Democratic opponents shown in blue.

Year % McConnell Opponent Party affiliation % of vote County-by-county map
1984 49.9% Walter Huddleston (incumbent) Democratic 49.5%
1990 52.2% Harvey I. Sloane Democratic 47.8%
1996 55.5% Steve Beshear Democratic 42.8%
2002 64.7% Lois Combs Weinberg Democratic 35.3%
2008 53.0% Bruce Lunsford Democratic 47.0%

Personal life

McConnell is a member of the Baptist Church. His first wife was Sherrill Redmon,[60] from whom he was later divorced; they have three daughters. His second wife, whom he married in 1993, is Elaine Chao, the former Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush.

Senator McConnell's net worth was between $9,839,049 to $44,587,000 in 2010 and he was ranked as the 10th wealthiest member of the U.S. Senate.[61]

McConnell is on the Board of Selectors of Jefferson Awards for Public Service.[62]

Memberships

McConnell also serves as a speaker for the Leadership Institute in Arlington, Virginia,[63] an organization that teaches conservative Americans how to influence public policy through activism and leadership. In 1997, he founded the James Madison Center for Free Speech, a Washington, D.C.-based legal defense organization.[64][65] McConnell was inducted as a member of the Sons of the American Revolution on March 1, 2013. His ancestor, James McConnell, served in North Carolina during the Revolutionary War.[66]

References

  1. ^ "National Environmental Scorecard" (PDF). League of conservation voters. 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 27, 2008. Retrieved July 13, 2009.
  2. ^ "Biography - About - U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell". Mcconnell.senate.gov. January 3, 1985. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  3. ^ "McConnell becomes longest-serving senator from Kentucky". Larue County (Kentucky) Herald Tribune. January 14, 2009. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  4. ^ ""Fact of the Week", ''The Tuscaloosa News'' July 16, 2000". News.google.com. July 16, 2000. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  5. ^ "Addison Mitchell 'Mitch' McConnell". Washingtontimes.com. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  6. ^ ""Two Senators receive keys to the city of Sheffield" ''Times Daily'' March 13, 2001". News.google.com. March 13, 2001. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  7. ^ Kornacki, Steve (October 27, 2011) Why all of West Virginia now hates Mitch McConnell, Salon.com
  8. ^ "Mitch McConnell at Political Base". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on October 15, 2007. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  9. ^ "Kentucky Kernel: November 01, 1996". Kernel.uky.edu. Archived from the original on June 5, 2008. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  10. ^ Mark R. Chellgren (November 7, 1984). "Dee upset by McConnell in close race". Williamson Daily News. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  11. ^ "McConnell Attacks Huddleston - Part 1 video". Youtube.com. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  12. ^ "McConnell Attacks Huddleston - Part 2 video". Youtube.com. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  13. ^ a b "Mitch McConnell Likes The Corny Wordplay With His Political Opponents' Last Names". The Huffington Post. July 11, 2013. Retrieved August 17, 2014.
  14. ^ "National Journal Almanac 2008". Nationaljournal.com. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  15. ^ Killough, Ashley (July 24, 2013). "Conservative challenger takes on top Senate Republican". CNN.
  16. ^ Ostermeier, Eric (May 20, 2014). "McConnell Records Weakest Kentucky US Senate Incumbent Primary Victory in 75+ Years". Smart Politics.
  17. ^ Chris Gentilviso (April 12, 2014). "The NRA Puts Its Support Behind Mitch McConnell". The Huffington Post. Retrieved April 14, 2014.
  18. ^ "H R 5368 – U.S. Congress Votes Database - The Washington Post". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  19. ^ Federal News Service (June 23, 1992) "Hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: START Treaty."
  20. ^ Roth, Zachary; Cliff Schecter (October 2006). "Meet the New Boss: Quietly, Senate Republicans have already chosen Mitch McConnell as their next leader—because Congress just isn't partisan enough". Washington Monthly. Retrieved March 9, 2013.
  21. ^ McConnnell, Mitch (May 3, 2001). "Speech to the House Appropriations Committee on campaign finance reform".
  22. ^ Robert Costa (June 19, 2012). "Mitch McConnell and Free Speech". Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  23. ^ W. James Antle, III (February 18, 2014). "The Libertarian Case For Supporting Mitch McConnell". Retrieved June 3, 2014.
  24. ^ Senator McConnell Remarks on Free Speech. June 21, 2013. Retrieved June 3, 2014.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  25. ^ Bash, Dana (March 29, 2000). "Flag desecration amendment fails in Senate". CNN.
  26. ^ "S.1370 (107th)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  27. ^ "S.1546 (108th)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  28. ^ "S.3098 (110th)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  29. ^ "S.3773 (111th)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  30. ^ Conason, Joe (November 16, 2010). "Why Mitch McConnell is worse than Charles Rangel". Salon. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  31. ^ "U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote". Senate.gov. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  32. ^ "U.S. Senate: Legislation & Records Home > Votes > Roll Call Vote". Senate.gov. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  33. ^ Kapur, Sahil (May 27, 2014). "McConnell's Bizarre New Position On Obamacare". talkingpointsmemo.com. TPM Media LLC. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
  34. ^ "S.J. Res. 23 (112th)". GovTrack.us. Retrieved September 15, 2013.
  35. ^ "Dem unity forces McConnell to filibuster his own proposal". washingtonpost.com. December 6, 2012. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
  36. ^ Fischer, Sara (February 15, 2014). "Mitch McConnell on allowing debt-ceiling vote: "I had to do what's best for the country"". cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved February 17, 2014.
  37. ^ Morrison, Curtis. "Audio from Mitch McConnell robocall: ‘I’m doing everything in my power to protect your 2nd amendment rights’", Insider Louisville, Louisville, January 23, 2013. Retrieved on February 1, 2013.
  38. ^ "U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes 113th Congress – 1st Session". Legislation & Records. United States Senate. Retrieved July 30, 2013.
  39. ^ Steinhauser, Paul (September 10, 2013). "McConnell only party leader in Congress to oppose Syria resolution". CNN. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  40. ^ "When did McConnell say he wanted to make Obama a ‘one-term president’?". Washington Post. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  41. ^ Gerth, Joseph (February 13, 2014). "McConnell sought grant but mocked Obama biofuel plan". usatoday.com. The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  42. ^ Benen, Steve (February 14, 2014). "Mitch McConnell's algae problem". msnbc.com. NBCUniversal Media LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  43. ^ "S. 2183 - Summary". United States Congress. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  44. ^ Cox, Ramsey (March 27, 2014). "Senate passes bill to fund Ukraine broadcasting". The Hill.
  45. ^ a b Ramsey Cox; Alexander Bolton (April 9, 2014). "Senate GOP blocks paycheck bill". The Hill. Retrieved April 9, 2014.
  46. ^ OHLEMACHER, STEPHEN (July 23, 2014). "Senate Advances Bill To End Tax Breaks For Companies That Outsource". Huffington Post. AP. Retrieved August 10, 2014.
  47. ^ "Roll Call Vote on the Amendment (McConnell Amdt. No. 3472)". Senate.gov. Retrieved February 24, 2013.
  48. ^ Bloomberg, June 22, 2006, Republicans to Use Votes to Cast Democrats as Weak on Terrorism
  49. ^ "Editorial: McConnell's true colors". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. November 11, 2010. Archived from the original on July 26, 2013. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  50. ^ "CNN Political Ticker". Cnn.com. May 13, 2007. Retrieved July 30, 2010.
  51. ^ Mitch McConnell (April 21, 2009). "Republican Leader McConnell's April 21, 2009 floor speech". United States Senate. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009.
  52. ^ Carol Rosenberg (April 21, 2009). "GOP leader McConnell wants more scrutiny of prison closing costs". Miami Herald. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009.
  53. ^ a b c Mitch McConnell: Campaign Finance/Money - Summary - Career. Center for Responsive Politics, April 17, 2010
  54. ^ a b I’m Not Doing The bidding of Large Banks. CBS News, April 15, 2010
  55. ^ Archived 2010-04-18 at the Wayback Machine. Lexington Herald-Leader. April 15, 2010.
  56. ^ Jaffe, Alexandra. "Report links McConnell campaign donations to legislative work", The Hill, Washington DC, January 3, 2013. Retrieved on February 1, 2013.
  57. ^ Walters, Kurt. "Cashing In On Obstruction: How Mitch McConnell’s Abuse of the Filibuster Benefits His Big Money Donors", Public Campaign Action Fund Blog, Washington, D.C., January 2, 2013. Retrieved on February 1, 2013.
  58. ^ Storm, Nick (January 3, 2013). "Campaign finance group says McConnell has cashed in by blocking bills". Pure Politics. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  59. ^ "Sen. McConnell called obstructionist by critics in Kentucky", Associated Press, Louisville, January 4, 2013. Retrieved on February 1, 2013.
  60. ^ John E. Kleber, Kentucky Bicentennial Commission, Thomas Dionsius Clark, and Lowell H. Harrison, "The Kentucky Encyclopedia", University Press of Kentucky, 1992, page 592, accessdate July 30, 2010
  61. ^ "Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), 2010". OpenSecrets.org. December 3, 2010. Retrieved February 13, 2011.
  62. ^ "Board | youth community | service award". Jefferson Awards.org. Retrieved November 19, 2013.
  63. ^ "Speaker Bio Mitch McConnell". The Leadership Institute. Retrieved October 7, 2010.
  64. ^ John David Dyche, Republican Leader: A Political Biography of Senator Mitch McConnell, Intercollegiate Studies Institute, 2009 p. 124 [1]
  65. ^ Ann Southworth, Lawyers of the right: professionalizing the conservative coalition, Chicago: University Of Chicago Press, 2008, p. 30 [2]
  66. ^ "The Long Rifleman Louisville-Thruston Chapter" (PDF). Retrieved November 19, 2013.

Further reading

U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 2) from Kentucky
January 3, 1985 – present
Served alongside: Wendell H. Ford, Jim Bunning, Rand Paul 		Incumbent
Political offices
Preceded by Judge–Executive of Jefferson County
January 3, 1978 – December 21, 1984 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of the Senate Ethics Committee
1995 – 1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chairman of the Senate Rules Committee
1999 – 2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Senate Majority Whip
January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by United States Senate Minority Leader
January 4, 2007 – present 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for United States Senator from Kentucky
(Class 2)
1984, 1990, 1996, 2002, 2008, 2014 		Succeeded by
Current
Preceded by Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee
1997 – 2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Senate Republican Whip
January 4, 2003 – January 4, 2007 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Senate Republican Leader
January 4, 2007 – present 		Incumbent
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Senators by seniority
7th 		Succeeded by

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