U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, after spent decades in the nation's Capitol shaping Republican priorities, will not seek reelection when his term expires.

Mitch McConnell will end his Senate career with his most indelible mark on the nation’s federal courts and the chamber’s judicial confirmation process, a priority that changed the chamber’s rules and solidified a conservative Supreme Court for the foreseeable future.

Republican U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell, who acquired the moniker "Grim Reaper" as the longest-serving party leader in Senate history, said on Thursday he will not seek reelection in 2026, ending a decades-long career that helped steer American politics decisively to the right.