Mitch Mcconnell
{{Infobox Senator | name=Mitch McConnell| image name=Mitch McConnell official photo.jpg| jr/sr=Senior Senator| state=Kentucky| term_start=[January 3, 1985| succeeded=Incumbent (2009)| date of birth=| place of birth=[Tuscumbia, Alabama| profession=[Lawyer| order2 = 22nd| office2 = United States Senate Minority Leader| term_start2 = [January 4, 2007| successor2 = Incumbent| order3 = 28th| office3 = United States Senate Majority Whip| term_start3 = [January 3, 2003, [2007| successor3 = [Richard Durbin-->Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. (born February 20, 1942), is the senior United States Senate from Kentucky. He was chosen by his Republican Party (United States) colleagues as the Party leaders of the United States Senate in November 2006, making him the top-ranking Republican in the 110th Congress, which convened in January 2007.
Early life and education Born in Tuscumbia, Alabama to Julia Shockley and Addison Mitchell McConnell,http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/senators/mcconnell.htm and raised in south Louisville, Kentucky, he attended duPont Manual High School and graduated from the University of Louisville College of Arts and Sciences with honors in 1964, where he was student body president and member of Phi Kappa Tau. He graduated in 1967 from the University of Kentucky College of Law, where he was elected president of the Student Bar Association.
McConnell is a member of the Baptist Church. He married Elaine Chao, the current United States Secretary of Labor, in 1993, and has three grown daughters from his first marriage. McConnell's first wife worked as a librarian for a small college in the Northeast.
In 1992, McConnell teamed with the University of Louisville to create the McConnell Center.
Career prior to the Senate McConnell became a member of the 100th Training Unit, U.S. Army Reserve, Louisville, Kentucky, in March 1967, during his final semester of law school, and reported for his six months of active service, primarily for training, in July 1967. Ten days after induction at Fort Knox, Kentucky, McConnell was diagnosed with optic neuritis. He was released from the military in August after serving less than sixty days with an honorable discharge. McConnell gained experience on Capitol Hill as an intern under Senator John Sherman Cooper, later as an assistant to Senator Marlow Cook, and was a United States Attorney General under President of the United States Gerald R. Ford. From 1978 until his election to the Senate, he was the Jefferson County Judge/Executive, the top political office in Jefferson County, Kentucky, which includes Louisville.
U.S. Senate Initial election and subsequent re-elections In 1984, McConnell ran against two-term Democratic Party (United States) Senator Walter Huddleston and won by a razor-thin margin — less than half a percentage point. The race wasn't decided until the last returns came in, and it appeared that McConnell won only because of Ronald Reagan's gigantic landslide in that year's presidential election (Reagan won Kentucky by 21 percentage points). Part of McConnell's success came from a series of television campaign spots called "Where's Dee," featuring a group of bloodhounds trying to find Huddleston, implying that Huddleston's attendance record in the Senate was less than stellar. His campaign bumper stickers and television ads asked voters to "Switch to Mitch." Despite the wide perception that 1984 was a disaster for Democrats, McConnell was the only Republican to defeat an incumbent Democratic senator that year.
McConnell faced a tough reelection contest against former Louisville mayor Harvey I. Sloane in 1990, winning by only 4.5 points. He had a slightly easier time in 1996, even as Bill Clinton narrowly carried the state. In 1996, Democrat Steve Beshear was unable to get McConnell to debate him. Bumper stickers were produced that read, "Ditch Mitch." McConnell's television ads warned voters to not "Get Besheared" and included images of sheep being sheared. In 2002, he was reelected with the largest majority by a Republican candidate in Kentucky history.
Republican leadership McConnell was chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 1998 and 2000 election cycles. In both, Republicans maintained control of the Senate. McConnell was first elected as Majority Whip in the 108th Congress; he was unanimously re-elected by Republicans in the Senate on November 17, 2004. Sen. Bill Frist, the Majority Leader, did not seek re-election in the United States Senate elections, 2006. After Republicans lost control of the Senate in November 2006, they elected McConnell to replace Frist as Republican Leader.
Committees McConnell currently serves as a senior member of the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations. He is ranking member of the United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations and Related Programs, a key foreign policy perch, which he has used continue support for the Bush Administration's foreign policy. He is also a senior member of the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration Committees.
Political actions and positions McConnell is a staunch conservative and a master of procedure, but no piece of landmark legislation bears his name. McConnell is widely considered a "kingmaker" in Kentucky Republican politics.
Although he is an ardent conservative, on one issue, Flag Desecration Amendment, he has distanced himself from the vast majority in his party by opposing the amendment, calling it a free speech issue. In keeping with his support of free speech, McConnell has expressed strong opposition to the Fairness Doctrine -- which he believes would adversely affect talk radio in the United States.
Perhaps the only issue on which McConnell has a national profile is campaign finance reform, where he's known for having fought it at every turn.Zachary Roth and Cliff Schecter "Meet the New Boss", Washington Monthly, October 2006 McConnell spearheaded the movement against the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (commonly known as the "McCain-Feingold bill"), calling it "neither fair, nor balanced, nor constitutional." Speech to the House Appropriations Committee by Mitch McConnnell, May 3, 2001, on campaign finance reform His opposition to the bill culminated in the 2003 Supreme Court case McConnell v. Federal Election Commission.
McConnell remains one of the strongest supporters of the Iraq war, which he considers a central part of the "War on Terrorism." He holds the view that the violence in Iraq is perpetrated primarily by al-Qaeda and other international jihadists, who would otherwise be engaged in terrorist actions within the United States. In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper on January 10, 2007 (after President Bush's announcement of an escalation in troop levels in Iraq), McConnell claimed that the war in Iraq was a "success," because it had prevented terrorist attacks in the U.S. since September 11, 2001 attacks. He warned that if the United States withdrew from Iraq, "the terrorists would come after us where we live."
In 1996, Senator McConnell demanded that President Clinton allow White House aides to testify under oath. However, as Chris Wallace explained on April 1, 2007, his stance on Karl Rove and Harriet Miers testifying under oath in relation to the Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy was contradictory. Wallace asked, "...in 1996, you were saying those White House aides should testify in open hearing. These were White House aides of Bill Clinton, in open hearing under oath. Why shouldn’t the same rules apply for the Bush White House and people like Karl Rove?" McConnell replied, "And what I’m telling you is the president’s going to make that decision."
Fundraising, contributors and influence In October 2006, the Lexington Herald Leader published a series of articles based on a six-month examination of McConnell's fundraising. "The McConnell Machine", Lexington Herald-Leader, October 2006, accessed November 15, 2006 The paper reported that McConnell had raised nearly $220 million during his Senate career. Most of the money went to the campaigns of his GOP colleagues; in return, the paper said, those colleagues "have rewarded him with power." "He's completely dogged in his pursuit of money. That's his great love, above everything else," said Marshall Wittmann, a former aide to Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., and a Christian Coalition of America lobbyist in Washington.
The paper found a significant correlation between McConnell's actions and his donors' agendas. He supported government action to help cigarette makers, Las Vegas, Nevada casinos, the pharmaceutical industry, credit card lenders, coal mine owners, and others who gave large amounts of money. McConnell has responded that he never allows money to influence him.John Cheves, "Senator's pet issue: money and the power it buys", Lexington Herald-Leader, October 15, 2006
War in Iraq Sen. McConnell has been an advocate of the War in Iraq and an ardent supporter of President George W. Bush and his policies. However, after his party lost control of Congress in the 2006 election, McConnell started to cite his private frustration publicly; in particular with the Iraqi government.
Regarding the Government of Iraq and its inability to reform changes, McConnell said the following on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: "The Iraqi government is a huge disappointment. Republicans overwhelmingly feel disappointed about the Iraqi government. I read just this week that a significant number of the Iraqi parliament want to vote to ask us to leave. I want to assure you, Wolf, if they vote to ask us to leave, we'll be glad to comply with their request."http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/05/sen-mcconnell-on-iraq-if-they-vote-to.html
On the Sunday, June 17, 2007 edition of CBS News' Face the Nation, McConnell said: "Most members of my conference in the Senate believe September will be the critical point to evaluate where we are ... I think everybody anticipates that there's going to be a new strategy in the fall. I find growing support in the Senate among Republicans, and for that matter, some Democrats as well, for the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group"http://www.politics1.com/blog-0607a.htmhttp://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/face_061707.pdf
On July 9, 2007, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky at Fort Campbell speaking to a contingent of troops about to ship out for a 15-month deployment to Iraq, McConnell said: "The majority of the public has decided the Iraq effort is not worth it," he said. "That puts a lot of pressure on Congress to act because public opinion in a democracy is not irrelevant."http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19693640/http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/jul/09/mcconnell_public_opinion_is_not_irrelevant_in_a_democracy
Re-election 2008 McConnell may face a Republican challenge in his re-election bid. Allies of Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher are backing a campaign to draft Larry Forgy, a former candidate for the state Supreme Court who lost a primary for governor in 1991 and lost a close race for Governor in 1995. On May 24, 2007, Fletcher won the Republican Nomination for a second term as Governor. As of October 10th, 45% approve of McConnell and 43% disapprove.
McConnell's campaign had raised $6 million for the election as of July 2007.
References External links
{{Persondata|NAME=McConnell, Mitch|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=McConnell, Addison Mitchell, Jr. (full name)|SHORT DESCRIPTION=Kentucky politician|DATE OF BIRTH=February 20, [1942|DATE OF DEATH=living|PLACE OF DEATH=-->
Early life and education Born in Tuscumbia, Alabama to Julia Shockley and Addison Mitchell McConnell,http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~battle/senators/mcconnell.htm and raised in south Louisville, Kentucky, he attended duPont Manual High School and graduated from the University of Louisville College of Arts and Sciences with honors in 1964, where he was student body president and member of Phi Kappa Tau. He graduated in 1967 from the University of Kentucky College of Law, where he was elected president of the Student Bar Association.
McConnell is a member of the Baptist Church. He married Elaine Chao, the current United States Secretary of Labor, in 1993, and has three grown daughters from his first marriage. McConnell's first wife worked as a librarian for a small college in the Northeast.
In 1992, McConnell teamed with the University of Louisville to create the McConnell Center.
Career prior to the Senate McConnell became a member of the 100th Training Unit, U.S. Army Reserve, Louisville, Kentucky, in March 1967, during his final semester of law school, and reported for his six months of active service, primarily for training, in July 1967. Ten days after induction at Fort Knox, Kentucky, McConnell was diagnosed with optic neuritis. He was released from the military in August after serving less than sixty days with an honorable discharge. McConnell gained experience on Capitol Hill as an intern under Senator John Sherman Cooper, later as an assistant to Senator Marlow Cook, and was a United States Attorney General under President of the United States Gerald R. Ford. From 1978 until his election to the Senate, he was the Jefferson County Judge/Executive, the top political office in Jefferson County, Kentucky, which includes Louisville.
U.S. Senate Initial election and subsequent re-elections In 1984, McConnell ran against two-term Democratic Party (United States) Senator Walter Huddleston and won by a razor-thin margin — less than half a percentage point. The race wasn't decided until the last returns came in, and it appeared that McConnell won only because of Ronald Reagan's gigantic landslide in that year's presidential election (Reagan won Kentucky by 21 percentage points). Part of McConnell's success came from a series of television campaign spots called "Where's Dee," featuring a group of bloodhounds trying to find Huddleston, implying that Huddleston's attendance record in the Senate was less than stellar. His campaign bumper stickers and television ads asked voters to "Switch to Mitch." Despite the wide perception that 1984 was a disaster for Democrats, McConnell was the only Republican to defeat an incumbent Democratic senator that year.
McConnell faced a tough reelection contest against former Louisville mayor Harvey I. Sloane in 1990, winning by only 4.5 points. He had a slightly easier time in 1996, even as Bill Clinton narrowly carried the state. In 1996, Democrat Steve Beshear was unable to get McConnell to debate him. Bumper stickers were produced that read, "Ditch Mitch." McConnell's television ads warned voters to not "Get Besheared" and included images of sheep being sheared. In 2002, he was reelected with the largest majority by a Republican candidate in Kentucky history.
Republican leadership McConnell was chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee during the 1998 and 2000 election cycles. In both, Republicans maintained control of the Senate. McConnell was first elected as Majority Whip in the 108th Congress; he was unanimously re-elected by Republicans in the Senate on November 17, 2004. Sen. Bill Frist, the Majority Leader, did not seek re-election in the United States Senate elections, 2006. After Republicans lost control of the Senate in November 2006, they elected McConnell to replace Frist as Republican Leader.
Committees McConnell currently serves as a senior member of the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations. He is ranking member of the United States Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations and Related Programs, a key foreign policy perch, which he has used continue support for the Bush Administration's foreign policy. He is also a senior member of the United States Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry and United States Senate Committee on Rules and Administration Committees.
Political actions and positions McConnell is a staunch conservative and a master of procedure, but no piece of landmark legislation bears his name. McConnell is widely considered a "kingmaker" in Kentucky Republican politics.
Although he is an ardent conservative, on one issue, Flag Desecration Amendment, he has distanced himself from the vast majority in his party by opposing the amendment, calling it a free speech issue. In keeping with his support of free speech, McConnell has expressed strong opposition to the Fairness Doctrine -- which he believes would adversely affect talk radio in the United States.
Perhaps the only issue on which McConnell has a national profile is campaign finance reform, where he's known for having fought it at every turn.Zachary Roth and Cliff Schecter "Meet the New Boss", Washington Monthly, October 2006 McConnell spearheaded the movement against the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (commonly known as the "McCain-Feingold bill"), calling it "neither fair, nor balanced, nor constitutional." Speech to the House Appropriations Committee by Mitch McConnnell, May 3, 2001, on campaign finance reform His opposition to the bill culminated in the 2003 Supreme Court case McConnell v. Federal Election Commission.
McConnell remains one of the strongest supporters of the Iraq war, which he considers a central part of the "War on Terrorism." He holds the view that the violence in Iraq is perpetrated primarily by al-Qaeda and other international jihadists, who would otherwise be engaged in terrorist actions within the United States. In an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper on January 10, 2007 (after President Bush's announcement of an escalation in troop levels in Iraq), McConnell claimed that the war in Iraq was a "success," because it had prevented terrorist attacks in the U.S. since September 11, 2001 attacks. He warned that if the United States withdrew from Iraq, "the terrorists would come after us where we live."
In 1996, Senator McConnell demanded that President Clinton allow White House aides to testify under oath. However, as Chris Wallace explained on April 1, 2007, his stance on Karl Rove and Harriet Miers testifying under oath in relation to the Dismissal of U.S. attorneys controversy was contradictory. Wallace asked, "...in 1996, you were saying those White House aides should testify in open hearing. These were White House aides of Bill Clinton, in open hearing under oath. Why shouldn’t the same rules apply for the Bush White House and people like Karl Rove?" McConnell replied, "And what I’m telling you is the president’s going to make that decision."
Fundraising, contributors and influence In October 2006, the Lexington Herald Leader published a series of articles based on a six-month examination of McConnell's fundraising. "The McConnell Machine", Lexington Herald-Leader, October 2006, accessed November 15, 2006 The paper reported that McConnell had raised nearly $220 million during his Senate career. Most of the money went to the campaigns of his GOP colleagues; in return, the paper said, those colleagues "have rewarded him with power." "He's completely dogged in his pursuit of money. That's his great love, above everything else," said Marshall Wittmann, a former aide to Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., and a Christian Coalition of America lobbyist in Washington.
The paper found a significant correlation between McConnell's actions and his donors' agendas. He supported government action to help cigarette makers, Las Vegas, Nevada casinos, the pharmaceutical industry, credit card lenders, coal mine owners, and others who gave large amounts of money. McConnell has responded that he never allows money to influence him.John Cheves, "Senator's pet issue: money and the power it buys", Lexington Herald-Leader, October 15, 2006
War in Iraq Sen. McConnell has been an advocate of the War in Iraq and an ardent supporter of President George W. Bush and his policies. However, after his party lost control of Congress in the 2006 election, McConnell started to cite his private frustration publicly; in particular with the Iraqi government.
Regarding the Government of Iraq and its inability to reform changes, McConnell said the following on Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer: "The Iraqi government is a huge disappointment. Republicans overwhelmingly feel disappointed about the Iraqi government. I read just this week that a significant number of the Iraqi parliament want to vote to ask us to leave. I want to assure you, Wolf, if they vote to ask us to leave, we'll be glad to comply with their request."http://www.cnn.com/POLITICS/blogs/politicalticker/2007/05/sen-mcconnell-on-iraq-if-they-vote-to.html
On the Sunday, June 17, 2007 edition of CBS News' Face the Nation, McConnell said: "Most members of my conference in the Senate believe September will be the critical point to evaluate where we are ... I think everybody anticipates that there's going to be a new strategy in the fall. I find growing support in the Senate among Republicans, and for that matter, some Democrats as well, for the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group"http://www.politics1.com/blog-0607a.htmhttp://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/face_061707.pdf
On July 9, 2007, in Hopkinsville, Kentucky at Fort Campbell speaking to a contingent of troops about to ship out for a 15-month deployment to Iraq, McConnell said: "The majority of the public has decided the Iraq effort is not worth it," he said. "That puts a lot of pressure on Congress to act because public opinion in a democracy is not irrelevant."http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19693640/http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/jul/09/mcconnell_public_opinion_is_not_irrelevant_in_a_democracy
Re-election 2008 McConnell may face a Republican challenge in his re-election bid. Allies of Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher are backing a campaign to draft Larry Forgy, a former candidate for the state Supreme Court who lost a primary for governor in 1991 and lost a close race for Governor in 1995. On May 24, 2007, Fletcher won the Republican Nomination for a second term as Governor. As of October 10th, 45% approve of McConnell and 43% disapprove.
McConnell's campaign had raised $6 million for the election as of July 2007.
References External links
- United States Senator Mitch McConnell official Senate site
- Mitch McConnell For U.S. Senate official site
- Federal Election Commission — Mitch McConnell campaign finance reports and data
- New York Times — Mitch McConnell News collected news and commentary
- On the Issues — Mitch McConnell issue positions and quotes
- OpenSecrets.org — Mitch McConnell campaign contributions
- SourceWatch Congresspedia — Mitch McConnell profile
- "The McConnell Machine", Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader six-month investigation into finances of Sen. Mitch McConnell
{{Persondata|NAME=McConnell, Mitch|ALTERNATIVE NAMES=McConnell, Addison Mitchell, Jr. (full name)|SHORT DESCRIPTION=Kentucky politician|DATE OF BIRTH=February 20, [1942|DATE OF DEATH=living|PLACE OF DEATH=-->
- Official site, including biography, committees, news releases, photo and audio galleries, constituent services, contact instructions, Comonwealth of Kentucky information such as ...
- Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. (born February 20, 1942) is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky. He was chosen by his Republican colleagues as the Minority ...
- C ONTACT F ORM. Please use the following form to contact Senator McConnell with your comments and concerns. Fields marked with an * are required. You should call my nearest state ...
- Features complete voting record along with a brief biography, roles in Congress and financial disclosure statement.
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has joined other top Republicans in calling for convicted Sen. Ted Stevens to resign.
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is running for his fifth term in what is usually a GOP-friendly state (though Bill Clinton won twice here).
- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who is up for reelection next week, issued this statement following the conviction of Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) on seven ...
- Big News on mitch mcconnell. Includes blogs, news, and community conversations about mitch mcconnell
- Get Mitch McConnell’s biographical information, election history and state information for Kentucky
- Ensign Enlists Supporters for Stevens, Other Races November 7, 2008; McConnell: The most powerful Republican November 5, 2008; Stevens Adds to Democratic Wave