Mitch McConnell, born on February 20, 1942, has served as a U.S. senator from Kentucky since 1985, becoming the state's longest-serving senator and the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history. Once a pragmatic moderate, he later solidified his conservative legacy by opposing campaign finance reform (culminating in the Citizens United v. FEC ruling) and blocking President Obama's judicial nominees, including Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland. During the Trump administration, he confirmed a record number of federal judges—including Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett—and passed major legislation like the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, while still publicly blaming Trump for the January 6 Capitol attack. After stepping down as Senate Republican leader in January 2025, he announced on February 20, 2025, that he would not run for an eighth term in 2026, citing declining health after multiple public episodes. Recognized as one of Time's 100 most influential people in 2015, 2019, and 2023, his retirement marks the end of a transformative and often contentious era in American politics.