Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Tuesday he planned to stay on as Republican leader regardless of whether he's relegated to the minority or keeps control of the Senate.
"I do," McConnell said when asked if he'll continue to seek the party leader role after the November elections. McConnell, 78, has had the job of GOP leader since 2007 and is the longest serving Republican leader of all time.
Polls show increasing peril for the GOP’s 53-seat Senate majority, with a half-dozen seats truly competitive and the potential for more races to be in the mix. At the same time, there is a path for McConnell to hang on to the Senate, particularly if President Donald Trump's performance rebounds in states like North Carolina, Iowa, Maine and Arizona.
McConnell is up for reelection himself this year in deep red Kentucky and is likely to face either Amy McGrath, who is supported by most Senate Democrats, or insurgent liberal candidate Charles Booker. McConnell is favored heavily for reelection, but his opposition is well-funded.