McConnell says Pelosi has done ‘pretty good job’ as ex-Speaker

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Tuesday he thinks Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has done a “pretty good job” transitioning out of her House leadership role and suggested he would try to follow a similar path when he steps down after the election, a local news outlet reported.

“I think Pelosi has done a pretty good job as a former Speaker, still being able to express herself and have an audience,” McConnell said at a Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon Tuesday.

Pelosi announced she would step down as the House Democratic leader after her party lost control of the lower chamber in the 2022 midterms. Pelosi had led the House Democrats since 2003, marking the longest leadership run in either party since Sam Rayburn’s historic tenure came to an end in 1961.

Pelosi said, however, she would not resign from her seat. Instead, after two decades at the helm, Pelosi would remain in Congress as a rank-and-file member, available to help mentor the new generation of party leaders.

McConnell took a similar step in February 2024, when he announced he would step aside after the election in November as the Senate GOP leader — a post he has held for nearly two decades. He said he would remain in Congress, however, for the remainder of his term, which ends in January 2027.

McConnell surpassed the late Senate Majority Leader Mike Mansfield (D-Mont.) in January 2023 as the longest-serving Senate party leader in history.

“I’m hopeful people will still care what I think,” McConnell added at the event, according to the news outlet.

The Hill has reached out to McConnell’s office for comment.