Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell (born 20 February 1942) was the Senate Majority Leader from 3 January 2015, succeeding Harry Reid; he also served as a US Senator from Kentucky (R) from 3 January 1985, succeeding Walter Huddleston. He was the husband of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
Biography
Addison Mitchell McConnell was born on 20 February 1942 in Sheffield, Alabama to a Baptist Protestant family, and his family moved to Kentucky while he was in high school. In 1966, he was awarded a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Louisville, and he became president of the Student Bar Association at the University of Kentucky College of Law. In 1977, he was elected the Jefferson County Judge, and he won a race for the senate as a US Republican Party candidate in 1984. He was repeatedly re-elected, becoming the longest serving Kentuckian senator in US history. McConnell was a rabid conservative, supporting the NSA's collection of data from cell phone users and encouraging military action against Iraq during the Iraq War (as well as supporting the 2007 troop surge). He also supported making flag desecration a salutory crime, was active in the efforts to repeal Obamacare, and sought to lower gas prices. In 2016, he supported his fellow Kentucky senator Rand Paul as the Republican Party presidential nominee, but he was forced to endorse Donald Trump after he gained the party's nomination.