Mitch McConnell

RepublicanU.S. Senator, KY

Age	84 (b. 1942-02-20)
Gender	Male
In office since	1985-01-03 (~41 yrs)
Race / ethnicity	White (Scots-Irish and English descent)
Religion	Christian (Southern Baptist; attends Southeast Christian Church, Louisville)
Education	B.A. in political science, University of Louisville (1964); J.D., University of Kentucky College of Law (1967)
Prior occupation	Attorney; Senate legislative assistant to Sen. Marlow Cook (1968-1970); Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney General (1974-1975)
Military service	Yes: U.S. Army Reserve (Private)
Birthplace	Sheffield, Alabama
Marital status	Married — Elaine Chao (m. 1993); previously Sherrill Redmon (m. 1968, div. 1980)
Children	3
Residence	Louisville, Kentucky
Notable relatives	Wife Elaine Chao, U.S. Secretary of Labor (2001-2009) and U.S. Secretary of Transportation (2017-2021)

Wikipedia · Ballotpedia · OpenSecrets · Official site

Pending research: languages · openly lgbtq.

Career & politics

First elected	1984
Previous offices	Legislative assistant to U.S. Sen. Marlow Cook (1968-1970) · Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney General for Legislative Affairs (1974-1975) · Acting Assistant Attorney General (1975) · Jefferson County (KY) Judge/Executive (1978-1985)
Committees	Appropriations (Chairman, Subcommittee on Department of Defense) · Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry (Chairman, Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research) · Rules and Administration (Chairman) · Joint Committee on the Library (Vice Chairman) · Joint Committee on Printing (Chairman)
Leadership	Senate Majority Whip (2003-2007) · Senate Minority Leader (2007-2015) · Senate Majority Leader (2015-2021) · Senate Minority Leader (2021-2025) · Senate Republican Leader / Republican Conference Leader (2007-2025); longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history
Ideology	Conservative Republican; long the leader of Senate Republicans (2007-2025). Britannica and reporting describe him as a pragmatic, institutionalist conservative.
Signature legislation	Plaintiff in McConnell v. FEC (2003), challenging the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (McCain-Feingold) · Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 · CARES Act and COVID-19 relief legislation (2020) · Confirmation of three Trump Supreme Court justices and a record number of federal judges; blocked the Merrick Garland nomination (2016)

Financial

Net worth: disclosed $15,000,000–$62,000,000 (2022) · estimate

Vanguard funds / ETFs (e.g. Vanguard 500 Index, Vanguard Total International Stock Index)	fund · 2022
Residential real estate, Louisville, KY and Washington, D.C. (including a carriage-house rental)	real_estate · 2022
2008 cash gift/inheritance from wife Elaine Chao's family (valued $5M-$25M)	other · $5,000,000–$25,000,000 · 2008

Top donors: Kent Companies ($689,132 (2022 cycle)) · Blackstone Group ($137,330 (2022 cycle)) · Votesane PAC ($127,450 (2022 cycle)) · United Parcel Service (UPS) ($109,644 (2022 cycle)) · Humana Inc ($69,838 (2022 cycle))

Top industries: Lawyers/Law Firms · Securities & Investment · Retired · Coal Mining (historically a top industry for him) · Tobacco (historically a top industry for him)

Scandals & crimes ledger

resolved — FEC ADR 784: McConnell Senate Committee '14 Reporting Violation Settlement

campaign-finance · 2014-01-01 · Federal Election Commission (FEC) — Alternative Dispute Resolution Office · Settlement agreement approved 6-0 by the Commission with $0 monetary penalty. Violations involved reporting requirements under 52 U.S.C. §30104(a)(1) and §30104(b)(2) and implementing regulations 11 CFR §104.1 and §104.3(a). File closed March 23, 2016.

The McConnell Senate Committee '14 (McConnell's 2014 re-election campaign) and its treasurer Larry I. Steinberg entered a settlement with the FEC over alleged violations of federal campaign finance disclosure and reporting requirements. The FEC voted 6-0 to approve the settlement in March 2016. No monetary penalty was imposed; the settlement served as a compliance resolution.

Sources: Federal Election Commission

resolved — FEC ADR 1096: McConnell Senate Committee Excessive Contributions Settlement

campaign-finance · 2020-01-01 · Federal Election Commission (FEC) — Alternative Dispute Resolution Office · Negotiated settlement approved 6-0 by the Commission. McConnell Senate Committee and Treasurer Larry J. Steinberg paid a $7,225 civil penalty and were required to attend an FEC compliance seminar. The committee failed to remedy $97,262.48 in excessive contributions from the 2020 primary and general elections within the permissible timeframe. Case closed June 21, 2023.

The McConnell Senate Committee (Mitch McConnell's 2020 re-election campaign committee) and its treasurer entered into a negotiated settlement with the FEC after the committee failed to timely remedy excessive contributions totaling $97,262.48 received during the 2020 primary and general elections. The excessive contributions came from individuals, partnerships, and PACs that exceeded legal limits. The committee remedied the contributions but outside the permissible timeframe. The FEC voted 6-0 to approve the settlement in June 2023, imposing a $7,225 civil penalty and requiring FEC compliance training.

Sources: Federal Election Commission · FEC.gov (Week of June 26-30, 2023)