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Mitch McConnell to retire at the end of his term

Longest serving Senate leader has long opposed LGBTQ rights

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2 years ago

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U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will retire at the end of his term in 2027, he announced in a floor speech on Thursday.

Long regarded as the most consequential conservative voice in the Senate, the 83-year-old has served since 1985, a 40-year tenure that included three stints as the top Republican, distinguishing him as the chamber’s longest serving party leader in U.S. history.

McConnell stepped down from leadership last February, and the conference elected U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) to replace him in November. The Kentucky senator, who said he would finish the remainder of his term, gave little indication that he would seek reelection in 2026.

“Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell told his colleagues in his speech on Thursday. “Every day in between, I’ve been humbled by the trust they placed in me to do their business right here.”

“Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime,” he said. “I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.”

Politico noted that the senator “spoke in a notably halting voice,” with his announcement coming in the wake of recent health challenges including a fall earlier this month that left him using a wheelchair.

As documented by GLAAD, McConnell has opposed LGBTQ rights throughout his career in politics, using his power as the Senate Republican leader to fight against same-sex marriage, the repeal of the military’s discriminatory “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law, and LGBTQ-inclusive federal protections against hate crimes and employment discrimination.

Serving as the Republican minority leader in 2015, he was one of just six GOP senators who signed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to reject marriage equality as the justices debated Obergefell v. Hodges.

When Congress voted to codify legal protections for married same-sex couples with the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022, McConnell declined to join the 12 Republican senators who broke with their party to support the measure, though he did not whip votes in either direction.

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Congress

HRC president campaigns for Chris Pappas in NH

Gay congressman running to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen

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2 weeks ago

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August 31, 2026

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Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson, left, campaigns with U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) in Manchester, N.H., on Aug. 30, 2026. (Photo courtesy of the Human Rights Campaign)

Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson on Sunday campaigned for U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-N.H.) in New Hampshire.

Robinson traveled to Manchester, the state’s largest city, nine days before the Sept. 8 primary that will determine who will vie for retiring U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)’s seat.

Former U.S. Sen. John E. Sununu, who represented New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate from 2003-2009, will face off against former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, who represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate from 2010-2013, in the Republican primary.

Karishma Manzur is among the Democrats challenging Pappas.

A poll the University of New Hampshire Survey Center released on Aug. 26 shows Sununu is ahead of Brown. The same survey shows Pappas ahead of Manzur and his other Democratic challengers.

The UNH Survey Center poll shows Sununu ahead of Pappas by a 45-43 percent margin if they were to face off in the general election. The margin of error is +/-2.1 percent.

Pappas would become the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. Senate if he were to win in November.

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Chris Van Hollen says the Democratic Party needs change. Is he the one to lead it?

Senator is backing anti-establishment Democrats across the country

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3 weeks ago

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August 26, 2026

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By LEE O. SANDERLIN | The Democratic Party is having something of an identity crisis — losing to President Donald Trump twice in three elections will do that.

Should the party embrace anti-establishment figures who espouse progressive policy ideas like Medicare for all and rhetoric about unrigging the economy for the 1 percent? Or should Democrats try to appeal to moderates who want to return to semi-normalcy in a time of political upheaval?

Although he’s been in Congress since 2002, with key leadership roles throughout his tenure, Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen, 67, counts himself firmly in the anti-establishment camp.

The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.

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Congress

House blocks effort to codify transgender servicemember ban into law

Lawmakers approved two anti-trans NDAA amendments

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2 months ago

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July 22, 2026

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The Pentagon (Photo by icholakov/Bigstock)

The U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have codified a ban transgender servicemembers in the military.

The bipartisan vote was 212-217.

The NDAA is for the 2027 fiscal year and sets policies for the Defense Department programs and activities and the national security programs of the Department of Energy.

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) proposed the amendment on July 21. It stated that all personnel are required to serve in accordance with their biological sex, citing military readiness and discipline.

Human Rights Campaign Senior Director of Government Affairs Jennifer Pike Bailey stated that she is grateful for the bipartisan vote that rejected President Donald Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “dangerous and discriminatory policy that has kicked brave transgender servicemembers out of the military and weakened our national security.”

“Everyone who meets the same rigorous standards should be able to serve their country. We should honor that patriotism, particularly in this moment where we are witnessing brave servicemembers making the ultimate sacrifice for our country, instead of ending their careers and politicizing their existence. We’re grateful that a permanent extension of this ban failed, and we will keep fighting to reverse this senseless policy,” Bailey said.

Mark Takano, chair of the Congressional Equality Caucus, stated that he and his members put in countless hours of work to kill the amendment.

“When Americans know they or their families are going to be targeted by or not supported by the military, that leads them to avoid signing up to serve or staying in the service — making it harder to keep the ranks of the armed services full and our nation safe. My colleagues in the Equality Caucus and I will continue working to prevent these attacks on our servicemembers and their families from becoming law,” Takano said.

According to the Congressional Equality Caucus, two other bills could potentially be passed that would also target the transgender community, both of which were proposed by U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.).

The first was a bill that would have prohibited gender-related medical care under TRICARE and to prevent TRICARE from covering certain gender-related medical procedures and treatments, which was approved in a vote of 219-208.

The second was a bill that would have prohibited male participation in female sports at DoDEA schools. DoDEA schools are Department of Defense Dependents Schools, which is a network of primary and secondary schools.

The amendment was approved in a vote of 221-203. 

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