Mitch McConnell
Former Senate Republican Leader who voted against the SAVE Act reconciliation motion on 28 April 2026.
Last refreshed: 28 April 2026 · Appears in 1 active topic
Why did Mitch McConnell vote against his own party on the SAVE Act amendment?
Timeline for Mitch McConnell
Mentioned in: White House signs nothing on elections
US Midterms 2026Voted against Kennedy SAVE Act reconciliation motion
US Midterms 2026: SAVE Act loses reconciliation route, 48-50- Why did Mitch McConnell vote against the SAVE Act?
- McConnell voted against Senator John Kennedy's motion to attach SAVE Act provisions to the reconciliation package on 28 April 2026, joining three other Republican senators in the 48-50 defeat. His specific reasoning was not publicly detailed, but he has historically opposed procedural shortcuts that bypass the filibuster.Source: Senate vote, 28 April 2026
- Is Mitch McConnell still in the Senate?
- Yes. McConnell stepped down as Senate Republican Leader in April 2025 but retains his Kentucky Senate seat until at least 2027. He remains an active voter in the chamber.
- What is Mitch McConnell's record on judicial appointments?
- McConnell is widely credited with reshaping the federal judiciary — blocking Merrick Garland's 2016 Supreme Court nomination, confirming Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett, and steering 234 federal judicial confirmations during Trump's first term.
Background
Mitch McConnell (born 1942) served as Senate Republican Leader from 2007 to 2025, making him the longest-serving Senate party leader in US history. He is credited with reshaping the federal judiciary during the Trump and Biden years — most notably through his refusal to hold hearings on Merrick Garland in 2016 and his shepherding of three Supreme Court appointments under Trump. In April 2025, McConnell stepped down as party leader, retaining his Kentucky Senate seat until at least 2027.
McConnell became a notable 2026 midterm actor when he voted against Senator John Kennedy's motion to attach SAVE Act provisions to the Republican reconciliation package on 28 April 2026 — joining Collins, Murkowski, and Tillis in the 48-50 defeat that closed the reconciliation pathway. His vote against was significant: as the architect of modern Republican Senate strategy, his opposition carries institutional weight that less senior Republican defections do not.
McConnell's declining health has been a recurring political story since 2023, when he experienced two public freezing episodes. His ability to remain an active senator through 2026 and beyond is an open question that affects Kentucky's Senate arithmetic.