Mitch's long sunset
An aide says he isn't running for re-election, even though he hasn't explicitly said that yet.
Before Mitch McConnell could come to terms with his exit plan, he had to win a campaign within himself.
The Senate Republican leader’s second freeze-up last August -- in which he fell silent for more than 30 seconds before cameras -- had both shaken his fragile mortality and steeled his headstrong resilience. He resolved to prove to himself – and the world – he could recover to full strength.
When the Kentucky Republican eventually felt good about his health at the end of November, according to a longtime adviser, it allowed McConnell to begin soberly confronting the two issues that would define his 2024: How to sunset his tenure as leader and how to close his fracture with an ascendant former – and possibly future – president.
The McConnell aide insists the questions were separate – that the Kentuckian’s decision to relinquish power wasn’t related to Donald Trump’s reemergence as his party’s presidential nominee. But it’s hard to ignore the parallel tracks of the twin decisions.
