McConnell, the longest serving Senate party leader in U.S. history, said in a floor speech that his “current term in the Senate will be my last.”
“Regardless of the political storms that may wash over this chamber … I assure our colleagues that I will depart with great hope for the endurance of the Senate as an institution,” he said.
A large cohort of ambitious Kentucky Republicans has long been angling to succeed the 83-year-old former Senate GOP leader, who has held his seat since 1985.
I’m sure that several prominent politicians have been putting together teams to run campaigns but the GOP candidates probably mostly wanted to avoid any official announcements or major actions until Mitch made it official. Now the gate is open and the race is on.