SENATE TITAN SAYING GOODBYE — Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell, the longtime GOP leader, will not seek reelection next year, ending a seven-term span in the Senate that made him one of the most consequential Republicans of his generation. McConnell, who turned 83 today, announced his decision in a floor speech around noon. “Seven times, my fellow Kentuckians have sent me to the Senate,” McConnell said in his speech, with numerous aides lining the back of the chamber, the AP notes. “Every day in between I’ve been humbled by the trust they’ve placed in me to do their business here. Representing our commonwealth has been the honor of a lifetime. I will not seek this honor an eighth time.” McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984, beginning a historic career that in recent years has seen him clash with Donald Trump as the president has reshaped the Republican Party. The seismic-but-not-surprising news comes after a string of health challenges, including a fall taken while leaving the Senate chamber earlier this month that has left him using a wheelchair, POLITICO’s Daniel Desrochers, Jonathan Martin and Daniel Lippman report. Attention now turns to the race to replace McConnell. The top contenders: Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) and former Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron are the frontrunners on the Republican side. Barr, a former intern for McConnell, was quick to capitalize on the news this morning, issuing a statement that he is considering a run for the seat. Cameron, a former McConnell staffer, announced a formal bid shortly after McConnell’s remarks and has long been seen as a potential heir. Cameron was a Trump 2024 surrogate, which could give him an in on an endorsement from the president — though his swing-and-miss on a gubernatorial run dented his political standing in the state. The insurgent outsider: Nate Morris, a Republican Kentucky businessman, is “toying with the idea of running either for Senate or governor in 2027,” Semafor’s Kadia Goba and Burgess Everett report. Morris is already bashing Barr and Cameron for not being critical enough of McConnell. He could also self-fund a campaign and is “talking with Trump and Vice President JD Vance-aligned operatives ahead of his decision.” Putting the blue in Bluegrass: While Kentucky hasn’t had a Democratic senator since Wendell Ford left office in 1999, there is renewed hope among Democrats that Gov. Andy Beshear could give them a real shot to turn one of their Senate seats blue. Beshear is in his second term and is seen as a rising star in the Democratic Party who could run for president one day. Despite hailing from a state that backed Trump by nearly 30 percentage points in every election since 2016, Beshear enjoys high approval ratings. A recent Morning Consult poll had Beshear at a 65% approval rating — the third-highest among governors overall in the country and the top mark for a Democrat. Speaking of: Beshear spoke to POLITICO’s Elena Schneider at POLITICO’s Governors Summit this morning, where he encouraged his party to “talk to people like real human beings” and get away from what he called “sanitized” language and messaging. Asked about his political future before McConnell’s announcement, Beshear danced around the question: “I love this country and I hate to see how divided it is,” he said. “If there is an ability or another opportunity to [fix America’s problems], it’s something I’d consider.” MORE FROM THE GUVS: Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is all for “making government more efficient” — just not the way the federal government is going about it, he said at the summit. “Polis — who at times has provided contrarian views to his fellow Democrats, like when he voiced support for now-Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — indicated some common ground with the administration’s efforts to target ‘waste at federal agencies,’ and suggested that states can learn from efforts being made at the federal level to do so,” POLITICO’s Madison Fernandez writes. And Oklahoma GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt doubled down on his decision to strike an effort pushed by his state’s top education official to require that families reveal their child’s immigration status when registering for school. “It was common sense. … I thought that my state superintendent was being a little bit political on this issue and was going after some kids,” Stitt said during an interview with POLITICO’s Liz Crampton. “I’m like, ‘Listen, we’re not going to attack 6-, 7-, 8-year-old kids — asking for immigration status. That’s not a public safety issue.’” Good Thursday afternoon. Thanks for reading Playbook PM. Drop me a line at gross@politico.com. COMING TODAY: Get excited for a fresh version of one of POLITICO’s signature newsletters. “West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government” launches this afternoon as a rolling look at how the Trump administration is overhauling the federal machine. Sign up here to get it straight in your inbox.
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