Addison Mitchell McConnell III (born February 20, 1942) is an American politician and retired attorney serving as Senate Minority Leader. He also serves as the senior United States senator from Kentucky, a seat he has held since 1985. McConnell has been the leader of the Senate Republican Conference since 2007 and Senate Minority Leader since 2021, having previously held that post from 2007 to 2015. He was Senate Majority Leader from 2015 to 2021. McConnell first served as a Deputy United States Assistant Attorney General under President Gerald Ford from 1974 until 1975 and went on to serve as Jefferson County Judge/Executive from 1977 until 1984 in his home state of Kentucky. McConnell was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 1984 and is the second Kentuckian to serve as a party leader in the Senate. During the 1998 and 2000 election cycles, he was chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. He was elected Majority Whip in the 108th Congress and re-elected to the post in 2004. In November 2006 he was elected Senate minority leader – the post he held until Republicans took control of the Senate in 2015. McConnell...