Mitch McConnell
U.S. Senator for KY
RepublicanSenate
Positions last updated Oct 12, 2026
- In Congress since
- 1985
- Years served
- 42
- Age
- 84
- Current term ends
- Jan 3, 2027
Source: Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress (via the public congress-legislators dataset). Photo: official congressional portrait.
Where their record lies
Between the typical Democratic and typical Republican record
Close to the typical Republican record
Mitch McConnell's record sits 98% of the way from the typical Democratic record to the typical Republican record.
Built from 6 topics that divide the parties. It describes a record of votes and statements, not a person. How this is calculated.
Their record by topic
Further from the center means more agreement with the quiz statement
Each point averages how Mitch McConnell votes and what they say on that topic. A topic with no data is left out, not drawn as neutral. The sources are in the sections below.
Where they stand
Each topic is a statement from the quiz. "Agree" means their votes or words line up with it.
Health care
“The federal government should guarantee health coverage for every American.”
Votes: Strongly disagree|Says: No data
Taxes & spending
“Lowering taxes matters more than expanding government services.”
Votes: Strongly agree|Says: Agree
Immigration
“Border security should be the top priority in immigration policy.”
Votes: Strongly agree|Says: No data
Climate & energy
“The federal government should require cuts to carbon emissions, even if energy costs rise.”
Votes: Disagree|Says: No data
Guns
“Federal law should require background checks on all gun sales, including private sales.”
Votes: Neutral or unsure|Says: No data
Abortion
“Abortion law should be decided by each state, not the federal government.”
Votes: No data|Says: Neutral or unsure
Education
“Public school funding should follow students to the school their family chooses, including private schools.”
Votes: Agree|Says: Agree
Foreign policy
“The U.S. should keep providing military aid to its allies abroad.”
Votes: Strongly agree|Says: Agree
Votes on key bills
The final vote on each bill Scope tracks (not every vote they have cast). Newest first.
S. 1071: National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2026
Voted yesSenate vote, Dec 17, 2025 · Counts toward: Foreign policy
H.R. 1: 2025 budget law (the One Big Beautiful Bill Act): tax cuts, Medicaid and border spending
Voted yesSenate vote, Jul 1, 2025 · Counts toward: Education, Health care, Taxes & spending, Immigration
S. 5: Laken Riley Act (2025)
Voted yesSenate vote, Jan 20, 2025 · Counts toward: Immigration
H.R. 815: National security aid package for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan (2024)
Voted yesSenate vote, Apr 24, 2024 · Counts toward: Foreign policy
H.R. 5376: Inflation Reduction Act (2022)
Voted noSenate vote, Aug 7, 2022 · Counts toward: Climate & energy, Health care
Show 3 more votes
S. 2938: Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022)
Voted yesSenate vote, Jun 24, 2022 · Counts toward: Guns
H.R. 1319: American Rescue Plan Act (2021)
Voted noSenate vote, Mar 6, 2021 · Counts toward: Health care
H.R. 1: Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (2017)
Voted yesSenate vote, Dec 2, 2017 · Counts toward: Taxes & spending, Education
Source: House Clerk and Senate roll-call records via Congress.gov. For every vote they have cast, see GovTrack.
Words versus votes
Pro preview · free for nowNo topic where votes and statements point in opposite directions (3 topics compared).
A difference is a prompt to look closer, not proof of anything. Votes come from a short list of tracked bills; statements come from speeches, press releases and bills they put their name on. See the evidence for each topic.
Campaign money
$217,447 raised in the 2025-2026 cycle
For the 2025-2026 election cycle, through Jun 30, 2026. Who funds a campaign can shape who a member listens to, though it does not decide how they vote.
- Raised
- $217,447
- Spent
- $969,119
- Cash on hand
- $0
Where the money came from
- Small donors (under $200 each)1%
- Larger individual donors8%
- Political action committees (PACs)7%
- Other84%
Source: Federal Election Commission filings · see top donors on OpenSecrets.
What they work on
4 bills written, 39 signed onto. Top topic: Crime and Law Enforcement
In the current Congress they have written 4 bills and signed on to 39 more. A bill someone writes shows what they want to change.
Topics of the bills they wrote
- Crime and Law Enforcement1
- Economics and Public Finance1
- Environmental Protection1
- Taxation1
Most recent bills they wrote
- S. 2572: Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2026 (Jul 31, 2025)
- S. 930: A bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude from gross income capital gains from the sale of certain... (Mar 11, 2025)
- S. 698: Federal Prisons Accountability Act of 2025 (Feb 24, 2025)
- S. 476: White Oak Resiliency Act of 2025 (Feb 6, 2025)
Source: Sponsorship records from Congress.gov; each bill links to its page there.
Committees
5 committees: Joint Committee of Congress on the Library; Joint Committee on Printing...
Committees study and rewrite bills before the full chamber votes.
Joint Committee of Congress on the LibraryVice Chairman
Joint Committee on PrintingChairman
Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry
Subcommittees: Commodities, Derivatives, Risk Management, and Trade; Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research; Rural Development, Energy, and Credit
Senate Committee on Appropriations
Subcommittees: Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies; Department of Defense; Energy and Water Development; Department of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies; Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies; State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs
Source: Committee rosters from the congress-legislators dataset (built from the House and Senate committee pages, as of 2026-10-12). Each committee name links to its official page.
Career in Congress
1985 to present
- 1985 to presentU.S. Senate, KYRepublican
Contact and learn more
Office phone, website, message form and where to read more
Contact their office
- Official website
- Send a message
- Phone: 202-224-2541
- Washington office: 317 Russell Senate Office Building
- X (Twitter)
Read more about them
- Official biography (Congress) (Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress)
- GovTrack (Votes, bills and ideology scores)
- OpenSecrets (Who funds them)
- Ballotpedia (Background and elections)
- Wikipedia (Encyclopedia article)
Source: Contact details from the member's official pages, via the congress-legislators dataset. Outside sites are not run by Scope.
The evidence, topic by topic
Every position links to the votes, quotes and bills it was built from
Health care
How they vote
Strongly disagree (-2)
Calculated from 3 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14.Roll call on billRoll call on billWhat they say
No data
Taxes & spending
How they vote
Strongly agree (+2)
Calculated from 2 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018.Roll call on billWhat they say
Agree (+1)
Based on 1 cosponsored bill related to this issue.
Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026
cosponsored bill: S 587: Death Tax Repeal Act of 2025Immigration
How they vote
Strongly agree (+2)
Calculated from 2 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on billRoll call on billWhat they say
No data
Climate & energy
How they vote
Disagree (-1)
Calculated from 1 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to title II of S. Con. Res. 14.What they say
No data
Guns
How they vote
Neutral or unsure (0)
Calculated from 1 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on Bipartisan Safer Communities ActWhat they say
No data
Abortion
How they vote
No data
What they say
Neutral or unsure (0)
Based on 1 cosponsored bill related to this issue.
Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026
cosponsored bill: S 6: Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection ActEducation
How they vote
Agree (+1)
Calculated from 2 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on billRoll call on An act to provide for reconciliation pursuant to titles II and V of the concurrent resolution on the budget for fiscal year 2018.What they say
Agree (+1)
Based on 1 cosponsored bill related to this issue.
Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026
cosponsored bill: SRES 587: A resolution designating the week of January 25 through January 31, 2026, as "National School Choice Week".Foreign policy
How they vote
Strongly agree (+2)
Calculated from 2 recorded vote(s) using the public issue-to-bill list.
Verified · Last updated Oct 12, 2026
Roll call on billRoll call on Making emergency supplemental appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2024, and for other purposes.What they say
Agree (+1)
Based on 1 cosponsored bill, 1 floor speech related to this issue.
Verified · Last updated Oct 8, 2026
floor speech: Iran and Ukraine (Executive Session)cosponsored bill: SRES 612: A resolution acknowledging the fourth anniversary of Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine, reaffirming support for the people of Ukraine, and emphasizing the importance of“I did it not only because supporting Ukraine was in our strategic interests but because these funds helped replenish American stockpiles”
Revision history
50 recorded changes
- Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Education (vote): 1 to 1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Guns (vote): 0 to 0Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Climate & energy (vote): -1 to -1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Immigration (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Taxes & spending (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Health care (vote): -2 to -2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Health care (vote): -1 to -2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Climate & energy (vote): -1 to -1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Immigration (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Guns (vote): 0 to 0Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Taxes & spending (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Education (vote): 1 to 1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Education (vote): 1 to 1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Guns (vote): 0 to 0Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Climate & energy (vote): -1 to -1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Immigration (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Taxes & spending (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Health care (vote): -1 to -1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 12, 2026
- Health care (vote): -1 to -1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Climate & energy (vote): -1 to -1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Education (vote): 1 to 1Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Immigration (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Guns (vote): 0 to 0Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Taxes & spending (vote): 2 to 2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 12, 2026
- Taxes & spending (statement): 1 to 1Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
- Abortion (statement): 0 to 0Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
- Foreign policy (statement): 1 to 1Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
- Education (statement): 1 to 1Bulk approval (statements): Spot-checked a sample of the AI's readings · Oct 8, 2026
- Foreign policy (statement): 0 to 1Status changed: needs_review to needs_review · Oct 8, 2026
- Foreign policy (statement): created at 0Created · Oct 8, 2026
- Abortion (statement): created at 0Created · Oct 8, 2026
- Education (statement): created at 1Created · Oct 8, 2026
- Taxes & spending (statement): created at 1Created · Oct 8, 2026
- Foreign policy (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
- Education (vote): 1 to 1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
- Guns (vote): 0 to 0Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
- Climate & energy (vote): -1 to -1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
- Immigration (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
- Taxes & spending (vote): 2 to 2Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
- Health care (vote): -1 to -1Bulk approval: AI bill check reviewed and accepted · Oct 8, 2026
- Education (vote): 2 to 1Status changed: needs_review to needs_review · Oct 8, 2026
- Health care (vote): -2 to -1Status changed: needs_review to needs_review · Oct 8, 2026
- Climate & energy (vote): -2 to -1Status changed: needs_review to needs_review · Oct 8, 2026
- Guns (vote): 2 to 0Status changed: needs_review to needs_review · Oct 8, 2026
- Climate & energy (vote): -2 to -2Status changed: verified to needs_review · Oct 8, 2026
- Education (vote): created at 2Created · Oct 8, 2026
