Written by Alleah
Modified & Updated: 08 Sep 2023
Reviewed by Jessica Corbett
From the President down to those in Congress, people in politics have a long history of disputes and controversy. Of all these personalities, one of the political figures that made headlines is Kentucky state Senator Mitch McConnell. From his tumultuous partnership with Trump to being the subject of memes, McConnel has been under the spotlight among other politicians. However, that’s not all there is to him as a person. Find out more about his life with these Mitch McConnel facts.
- Mitch McConnell is an American politician born on February 20, 1942.
- During his first term in 1985, Mitch McConnell became a US Senator representing Kentucky.
- Before he took a seat in the Senate, Mitch McConnell served as a Jefferson County Judge between 1977-1984.
- Mitch McConnell is now 78 years old.
- At 2 years old, Mitch McConnell had polio.
- Mitch’s full name is Addison Mitchell “Mitch” McConnell Jr.
- His parents were Julia Shockley and Addison Mitchell McConnell.
- Mitch McConnell was born in Sheffield, Alabama.
- Although born in a different state, Mitch McConnell grew up in Louisville, Kentucky.
- Mitch McConnell served under the Republican Party.
- He became President Gerald Ford’s deputy assistant attorney general.
- Not long after his role as attorney general, Mitch McConnell went back to Kentucky and worked there for 6 years.
- Mitch McConnell graduated with flying colors at the University of Louisville for his undergraduate degree.
- Finishing his law degree at the University of Kentucky, Mitch McConnell is a judge or lawyer by profession.
- Mitch McConnell’s first married Sherrill Redmon, bearing 3 children.
- Mitch McConnell was unable to walk for 3 years because of polio, but his mother’s devotion gave him the chance to walk again when he was 5.
- Apart from his interesting credentials, Mitch McConnell became the longest-serving senator in Kentucky.
- According to a source, McConnell is the 9th richest US senator.
- Mitch McConnell became the first Republican to win a Kentucky statewide election since 1968.
- Ever since he won the elections in 1984, Mitch McConnell has been in politics for over 36 years.
Mitch McConnell was a moderate Republican.
When he first got into politics, Mitch McConnell was pro-union, pro-abortion, and was in favor of pushing the civil rights movement. During his first term, he served in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, becoming an advocate for tax reform. Because of all these movements, he made an effort to witness Martin Luther King Jr.‘s speech in Washington in March 1963.
Before making it big, Mitch McConnell worked as a chief legislative assistant.
After graduating fresh from law school, he worked as an intern at Capitol Hill for then-Kentucky Republican senator John Sherman Cooper. Further in his career, McConnell climbed a notch right after he began working as Sen. Marlow Cook’s chief legislative assistant from 1968 until 1970.
Mitch McConnell was the only one to unseat an incumbent Democratic senator.
During the 1984 elections in Kentucky for the United States Senate post, McConnell replaced an incumbent democratic senator. Leading the race with over 0.5% more votes, Senator Mitch McConnell won the seat from U.S. Senator Walter Huddleston. 
Source: Pixabay
Mitch McConnell has a history of heart disease.
In late July 2019, McConnell fell due to an old tennis shoe. Because of the fall, he had a fractured shoulder that required surgery and physical therapy. However, McConnell’s health history hasn’t had the cleanest track record even before that incident.
In 2003, he had a triple bypass surgery after a stress test and screening revealed arterial blockages. Due to his condition, he missed events in the senate while he was regaining his strength.
Mitch McConnell's second wife was also a politician.
After his marriage to Redmon, he had a relationship with Elaine Chao. In 1993, they got married on February 6th, which happens to be the birthday of Republican President Ronald Reagan. Also in politics, Chao worked as former president George W. Bush’s Department of Labor Secretary, as well as the Department of Transportation’s Deputy Secretary.
Under President Trump’s term, she had the seat of the Department of Transportation Secretary. Married for 27 years and counting, McConnell and Chao are one of the most powerful couples in US politics.
His mother in-law's inheritance gave Mitch McConnell the financial wealth he's now known to have.
Contrary to memes and news circulating the web, Mitch McConnell is not the wealthiest senator in the United States. Instead, that title belongs to Senator Rich Scott, with an estimated net worth of over $260 million.
In comparison, McConnell has a net worth of nearly $34 million – making him the 9th wealthiest senator in the US. When he first got his seat in the Senate, he was not known to be remarkably wealthy. However, he ballooned his net worth in 2008 after getting his mother-in-law’s inheritance.
Controversy follows Mitch McConnell as there are claims that Kentucky is the poorest state in the US.
On the internet, many articles claim that Kentucky is the poorest state in the country. Although it’s true that it consistently lands a spot in the top 10, it’s not the poorest either. Studies show that the state has a 16.9% poverty rate which lands on the 6th spot in terms of the poorest US states.
President Donald Trump aired out his criticisms for Mitch McConnell on Twitter.
In 2017, McConnell’s statement about the White House having unrealistic expectations for those in Congress caused a spat between McConnell and President Trump. President Trump had his responses to McConnell over Twitter.
When asked where she stands between her husband’s and President Trump’s ongoing feud, she claimed to stand by both of them.
People have claimed that Mitch McConnell is soft with China for personal gain.
Former Marine Corps pilot Amy McGrath once claimed McConnel as being too lax with China. This claim was backed by the book, Secret Empires. The author, Peter Schweizer, argues that McConnell and his wife have been too lenient with China, since all their wealth comes from the country. For one, Chao’s father has had the Foremost Group since 1964, which is a shipping company in New York. According to critics, it’s has been successful through the years because of its ties and relations to the Chinese government.
Mitch McConnell skipped several White House events this year.
McConnell said in an interview that he has not visited the White House since August. He said it was mainly because President Trump and his members do not practice mask-wearing and social distancing protocols that have been laid out by the Capitol as protection against the COVID-19 virus.
That said, McConnell did not attend an outdoor White House ceremony, as well as a Rose Garden event on September 26th. This was also the event where many of the attendees, including President Trump, his wife, and senators, were diagnosed with the novel coronavirus.
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