UPDATE - US Senator Mitch McConnell won’t seek reelection in 2026

ADDS MORE REMARKS BY SENATOR

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - Republican US Senator Mitch McConnell announced on Thursday that he will not seek reelection next year.

"Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate," McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in US history, told on the Senate floor.

"Every day in between, I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business here. Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last," he added.

McConnell said his 83rd birthday would be "as good a day as any" to share his decision not to seek to run for another term.

He said he took this decision last year during his time in the Senate.

First elected in 1984, McConnell will serve until his term ends in January 2027.

"So lest any of our colleagues still doubt my intentions for the remainder of my term, I have some unfinished business to attend to...and to the disappointment of my critics, I'm still here on the job," he said.