Mitch McConnell facts for kids
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Mitch McConnell
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| Senate Majority Leader | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2015 |
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| Whip | John Cornyn |
| Preceded by | Harry Reid |
| Senate Minority Leader | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2007 |
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| Whip | Trent Lott Jon Kyl John Cornyn |
| Preceded by | Harry Reid |
| Succeeded by | Harry Reid |
| United States Senator from Kentucky |
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| Assumed office January 3, 1985 Serving with Rand Paul |
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| Preceded by | Walter Huddleston |
| Senate Majority Whip | |
| In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007 |
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| Leader | Bill Frist |
| Preceded by | Harry Reid |
| Succeeded by | Dick Durbin |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr.
February 20, 1942 Sheffield, Alabama, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Sherrill Redmon (1968–1993, divorced) Elaine Chao (1993–present) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Louisville, Kentucky |
| Alma mater | University of Louisville (B.A.) University of Kentucky (J.D.) |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Signature |  |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Army |
| Years of service | 1967 |
| Unit | Headquarters, 100th Division, USAR |
Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. (born February 20, 1942) is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky. A member of the Republican Party, he is the Majority Leader of the Senate, succeeding Harry Reid. He is the longest serving U.S. Senator in Kentucky history.
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Early life
Mitch McConnell was born in Sheffield, Alabama on February 20, 1942. He was raised in southern Louisville, Kentucky, the son of Julia (née Shockley) and Addison Mitchell McConnell. He attended the duPont Manual High School. In 1964, he graduated with honors from the University of Louisville with a B.A. in political science. He graduated in 1967 from the University of Kentucky College of Law.
Career
In 1984, McConnell ran for the United States Senate against two-term Democratic incumbent Walter "Dee" Huddleston. The election race wasn't decided until the last polls returned came in, and McConnell won by a thin margin—only 5,200 votes out of more than 1.8 million votes cast, just over 0.4%.
McConnell was the only Republican Senate challenger to win that year, despite Ronald Reagan's landslide victory in the presidential election. Part of McConnell's success came from a series of television campaign spots called "Where's Dee", which featured a group of bloodhounds trying to find Huddleston, implying that Huddleston's attendance record in the Senate was less than stellar. It is likely that he was helped by Ronald Reagan's 21-point win in Kentucky that year. His campaign bumper stickers and television ads asked voters to "Switch to Mitch".
Personal life
McConnell is a member of the Baptist Church. His first wife was Sherrill Redmon, from whom he was later divorced; they have three daughters. His second wife, whom he married in 1993, is Elaine Chao, the former Secretary of Labor under George W. Bush (the first Asian American woman to serve in the Cabinet).
Senator McConnell's personal fortune was between $9,839,049 to $44,587,000 in 2010 and he was ranked as the 10th wealthiest member of the U.S. Senate.
Images for kids
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Senator Mitch McConnell in 1992
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McConnell stands in front and directly to the right of President Obama as he signs tax cuts and unemployment insurance legislation on December 17, 2010.
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McConnell with President Barack Obama, August 2010.
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McConnell at the 2014 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland.
