I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last.
Mitch McConnell will not seek an eighth term in the U.S. Senate, making his current Senate term his last.
Occurrences
Evidence
The Senate floor record states that McConnell said, "I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last."
The Biographical Directory lists McConnell's 1984 election, reelections through 2020, and says the 2020 term ends January 3, 2027.
The guide lists 2026 deadlines: primary filing January 9, independent and minor-party general filing April 1, and write-in filing August 24.
The 2026 Primary Election page for U.S. Senator lists 20 filed candidates; Mitch McConnell is not among them.
The Republican primary sample ballot lists the U.S. Senator race candidates; McConnell does not appear.
"I will not seek this honor an eighth time. My current term in the Senate will be my last."
"Mitch McConnell (R-KY)" appears under "Departing Senators" and "Not seeking reelection – 119th Congress."
Reelected in 2020 "for the term ending January 3, 2027."
"Last day for write-in candidates to file declaration of intent: August 24, 2026"
The statewide filings page for U.S. Senator is the official filing registry for the 2026 primary election.
The Kentucky Secretary of State candidate filings page lists 19 U.S. Senate primary candidates and does not include Mitch McConnell among filed candidates.
The May 19, 2026 Kentucky Republican primary sample ballot includes the U.S. Senate race and lists candidates other than McConnell.
The Senate Facts page lists Mitch McConnell (R-KY) among departing senators and labels him as not seeking reelection in the 119th Congress.
Kentucky's official 2026 U.S. Senator candidate filings list still shows the filed candidates and does not include Mitch McConnell.
Assessments
McConnell publicly announced during his current Senate term that he would not seek an eighth term, and official Kentucky filing and ballot records show he did not file for or appear on the 2026 U.S. Senate Republican primary ballot. That is substantial evidence he is carrying out the promise. However, as of May 24, 2026, the current term has not ended and Kentucky's write-in filing deadline of August 24, 2026 has not yet passed, so the final promised outcome is not fully locked in. This supports partial credit now rather than full delivery.
McConnell publicly announced during his current Senate term that he would not seek an eighth term, and official Kentucky 2026 primary filings and sample ballots show he did not file for or appear in the Republican U.S. Senate primary. That substantially advances the promise. However, as of May 19, 2026, the write-in declaration deadline of August 24, 2026 had not yet passed, and his current term does not end until January 3, 2027. Because a remaining ballot-access route still exists, the promise is not fully locked in yet.
McConnell has clearly announced during his current Senate term that he will not seek an eighth term, official Senate references list him as not seeking reelection, and Kentucky primary filings and sample ballots show he did not file for the 2026 U.S. Senate primary. However, as of the assessment date, May 11, 2026, Kentucky's write-in declaration deadline of August 24, 2026 had not yet passed, so the promised outcome was not fully locked in. This warrants partial credit now rather than full delivery until all viable paths to seeking the eighth term have closed or the term ends.
McConnell publicly announced that he would not seek an eighth Senate term, and official Kentucky filings and sample ballots show he did not enter the 2026 U.S. Senate primary. Major-party, independent, and minor-party filing routes had closed by April 27, 2026. However, the write-in deadline had not yet passed, and the claim that his current term will be his last cannot be fully confirmed until remaining ballot access paths close or the term ends. The promise is therefore substantially on track but not yet fully delivered as of the adjudication date.