Mitch McConnell steps out of leadership, leaving a distinctive imprint on the Senate

Former Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell often says politicians come to Washington to “either make a point or to make a difference.”

Mr. McConnell has done both in his record-breaking 18 years as the top Senate Republican, but his colleagues say he will be remembered for making a difference.

“He came here to make a difference. He’s done that,” Sen. Mike Rounds, South Dakota Republican, told The Washington Times. “And he still appreciates working with members who have the same philosophy that he does.”

The Kentucky Republican, who will turn 83 next month, has stepped down from leadership but will remain chair of the Senate Rules Committee and Appropriations defense subcommittee.

When the 119th Congress convenes on Friday, Senate Republican Whip John Thune of South Dakota will assume the top leadership role.

In a recent floor speech honoring Mr. McConnell, Mr. Thune identified three characteristics of his tenure: his mastery of arcane Senate procedure, his “fierce commitment” to the Senate and his work in confirming judges to the courts who will “protect the rule of law.”

Every Republican senator The Times interviewed for this report mentioned the 234 judicial confirmations, including three Supreme Court justices, during Mr. McConnell’s time as majority leader.

“The highlight would have to be his ability to get a lot of judges placed on the various courts that are going to interpret the law versus make new law — from the Supreme Court on down,” said Sen. John Boozman, Arkansas Republican.

Sen. John Hoeven, North Dakota Republican, said Mr. McConnell’s judicial confirmations have made “a big, big impact” on decisions from the Supreme Court and district and circuit courts.

“Sometimes people say, ‘Oh, he’s not conservative.’ He actually is conservative, and that’s a good reflection of how he’s had an impact for conservatives,” Mr. Hoeven said.

Mr. McConnell worked to advance conservative causes in the 2011 debt limit deal he negotiated with Vice President Joseph R. Biden. The Budget Control Act of 2011 set discretionary spending caps for a decade, which were enforced through automatic budget sequestration.

Other senators said Mr. McConnell’s legacy goes beyond his accomplishments and leadership.

“I could talk about any number of bills or outcomes that he gets a lot of credit for, but I think more than anything is just a track record of protecting the conference — even at the expense of getting absolutely bludgeoned. That is a rare skill,” Sen. Thom Tillis, North Carolina Republican, told the Times.

“What’s really impressive about that is when he takes the hit and he’s protecting other members, whoever those other members are, are never known,” Mr. Tillis said. “It’s all Mitch McConnell.”

Mr. Tillis said he named one of his dogs, a 20-pound cocker spaniel-poodle mix, after Mr. McConnell. He trains dogs in his spare time and has a tradition of naming them after conservatives he admires.

“I’ve had so many dogs I ran out of conservative presidents, so he was the first non-president that I named a conservative dog after,” Mr. Tillis said.

Mr. McConnell’s top priority was to protect the most vulnerable members running for reelection, regardless of his relationship with them, Mr. Tillis said. He raised money for friends and opponents and decided which bills to bring to the floor in the majority or which to filibuster in the minority based on the conference’s collective good.

“Quite honestly, I believe if we found ourselves in a situation where the majority was hanging in the balance, and a vote would expose some people who have been the least supportive of him, he would still support them because the majority is all that matters,” Mr. Tillis said.

Mr. Boozman complimented Mr. McConnell for his “tenacious” ability to keep Senate Republicans together, given the conference’s diverse views.

“He always pushes members to the front. It’s not about him,” he said. “It’s about accomplishing a task. And I think he’s tried to protect members through the years from tough votes and things like that, putting a lot of the really difficult things on his own shoulders versus pushing it off on others.”

As Mr. McConnell put it: “Leading means letting folks take a walk when they need to and rallying together when we need to.”

Mr. Rounds said Mr. McConnell plays the long game and is steps ahead of most other lawmakers.

“While a lot of other people are playing checkers, he’s playing kind of a three-dimensional chess. He is very careful of what he says [and] when he says it,” Mr. Rounds said. “Now he can kind of open up a little bit over the next two years. He can speak his mind, as opposed to being identified as speaking for the entire conference.”

Mr. McConnell has not said whether he will run for reelection in 2026, but he has made clear he will focus the remainder of his Senate career on boosting U.S. defense capabilities and foreign alliances.

“The arsenal of democracy must be restored,” he said in a recent floor speech. “Peace through strength must once again actually mean something other than just a slogan.”

Sen. John Kennedy, Louisiana Republican, told The Times that Mr. McConnell is a foreign policy “realist” who “doesn’t want to see America be the world’s policeman” but doesn’t want Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin or other foreign dictators to hold that role.

“Mitch’s legacy will be that he stands and stood for the principle that weakness invites the wolves,” Mr. Kennedy said.

All the Republican senators interviewed for this article agreed that Mr. McConnell will maintain his sway over the conference.

“He’s going to have tremendous influence as we go forward,” Mr. Boozman said. “Everybody respects his opinion. He’s a quiet guy and he doesn’t say a whole lot, but when he speaks, everybody listens.”

Mr. Kennedy agreed that Mr. McConnell is “a powerful voice” in the Senate.

“I don’t agree with him all the time, but I don’t know a single person in my conference that doesn’t listen when he has something to say,” he said. “McConnell doesn’t generally go off half-cocked. If he says something, he’s thought it through, and that’s why we listen.”

Mr. Kennedy told Mr. McConnell that “he was too heavy-handed” in his leadership style at times.

“He’s old school. But old school is out, and we’re going to do it a different way,” he said. “I feel like we made it very clear in our leadership elections that most of us wanted to go in a more open direction. And I think, so far, John Thune has been very transparent.”

That type of criticism doesn’t bother Mr. McConnell. He knows his views do not always align with those of his colleagues, but he doesn’t plan to hold back.

“I still fully intend to keep frustrating my critics in the years ahead,” Mr. McConnell said.