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Sen. Mitch McConnell

Senate Majority Leader

Senator for Kentucky

pronounced mich // muh-KA-nul

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McConnell is the senior senator from Kentucky and is a Republican. He has served since Jan 3, 1985. McConnell is next up for reelection in 2020.

Photo of Sen. Mitch McConnell [R-KY]

Analysis

Legislative Metrics

Read our 2017 Report Card for McConnell.

Ideology–Leadership Chart

McConnell is shown as a purple triangle ▲ in our ideology-leadership chart below. Each dot is a member of the Senate positioned according to our liberal–conservative ideology score (left to right) and our leadership score (leaders are toward the top).

The chart is based on the bills McConnell has sponsored and cosponsored. See full analysis methodology.

Ratings from Advocacy Organizations

Committee Membership

Mitch McConnell sits on the following committees:

Enacted Legislation

McConnell was the primary sponsor of 23 bills that were enacted. The most recent include:

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We consider a bill enacted if one of the following is true: a) it is enacted itself, b) it has a companion bill in the other chamber (as identified by Congress) which was enacted, or c) if at least about half of its provisions were incorporated into bills that were enacted (as determined by an automated text analysis, applicable beginning with bills in the 110th Congress).

Bills Sponsored

Issue Areas

McConnell sponsors bills primarily in these issue areas:

Taxation (19%) International Affairs (19%) Environmental Protection (16%) Health (12%) Public Lands and Natural Resources (9%) Economics and Public Finance (9%) Armed Forces and National Security (9%) Crime and Law Enforcement (6%)

Recent Bills

Some of McConnell’s most recently sponsored bills include...

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As Senate Majority Leader, McConnell may be focused on his responsibilities other than introducing legislation, such as setting the chamber’s agenda, uniting his party, and brokering deals.

Voting Record

Key Votes

McConnell’s Vote Vote Description
Yea H.R. 5325: Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2017
Sep 28, 2016. Bill Passed 72/26.
Yea On the Nomination PN327: Paula Xinis, of Maryland, to be United States District Judge for the District of Maryland
May 16, 2016. Nomination Confirmed 53/34.
Yea On the Nomination PN1152: John B. King, of New York, to be Secretary of Education
Mar 14, 2016. Nomination Confirmed 49/40.
Yea H.R. 22: Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act
Dec 3, 2015. Conference Report Agreed to 83/16.
H.R 22, formerly the Hire More Heroes Act, has become the Senate’s vehicle for passage of the Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Economy Act or DRIVE Act (S. 1647). The DRIVE Act is a major bipartisan transportation bill that would authorize funding ...
Yea On the Nomination PN4: Loretta E. Lynch, of New York, to be Attorney General
Apr 23, 2015. Nomination Confirmed 56/43.
Nay On the Nomination PN1988: Ronald Anderson Walter, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority for a term expiring May ...
Dec 9, 2014. Nomination Confirmed 86/12.
Nay On the Nomination PN1987: Virginia Tyler Lodge, of Tennessee, to be a Member of the Board of Directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority for a term expiring May ...
Dec 9, 2014. Nomination Confirmed 86/12.
Yea H.J.Res. 124 (113th): Continuing Appropriations Resolution, 2015
Sep 18, 2014. Joint Resolution Passed 78/22.
Nay On the Nomination PN138: Marilyn B. Tavenner, of Virginia, to be Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
May 15, 2013. Nomination Confirmed 91/7.
Yea H.R. 4853 (111th): Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010
Dec 15, 2010. Motion Agreed to 81/19.
The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 (Pub.L. 111–312, H.R. 4853, 124 Stat. 3296, enacted December 17, 2010), also known as the 2010 Tax Relief Act, was passed by the United States Congress on December 16, 2010, and signed into ...

Missed Votes

From Jan 1985 to Sep 2018, McConnell missed 84 of 11,144 roll call votes, which is 0.8%. This is better than the median of 1.5% among the lifetime records of senators currently serving. The chart below reports missed votes over time.

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Primary Sources

The information on this page is originally sourced from a variety of materials, including: