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Top Senate Defense Appropriator McConnell Won’t Seek Reelection In 2026

Top Senate Defense Appropriator McConnell Won’t Seek Reelection In 2026
Maj. Gen. Brett Sylvia, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) and Fort Campbell, speaks with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) before the VOLAR barracks ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 27, 2024, at Fort Campbell, Ky. Photo by Staff Sgt. Kaden Pitt, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), the upper chamber’s top defense appropriator, said Thursday he will not seek reelection in 2026. McConnell will end his four-decade career after having served as the longest-tenured Senate leader in U.S. history, a role he stepped down from ahead of the current Congress and as he took over as chair of the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee. “Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate. Every day in between I’ve been humbled by the…

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