As Senate Majority Leader since 2015, McConnell has also tried to obstruct Obama administration nominees. His decision to block Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland in 2016 has been frequently derided by Democrats as has his recent decision to replace the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg just weeks out of the election. 

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"If I'm still the majority leader of the Senate, think of me as the Grim Reaper," McConnell said in April about Democrat proposals. "None of that stuff is going to pass. None of it. McConnell, 77, has been in office since 1985 and has cruised to election victories in the Bluegrass state, which is among the most Republican-leaning in the country. The last time he failed to draw 53% of the vote was in 1990.

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While McConnell still has a strong chance of re-election, the winds may possibly be shifting in Kentucky. McConnell’s top Democratic challenger in 2020 is former Marine Amy McGrath, who may feel emboldened by the recent election win of Kentucky Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andy Beshear. Beshear earned a tight victory over incumbent Matt Bevin, a close ally of Trump. Trump had won Kentucky by nearly 30% in 2016.