Fact check: McConnell plans to lead Senate Republicans after 2022 midterms
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The claim: McConnell said he will resign if he's not Senate majority leader after midterms
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said multiple times in the past few months that he plans to run again for Senate leader of his party.
A June 30 Facebook post said otherwise. The post received more than 2,000 shares in a week.
The post read, "Mitch McConnell said that he will resign if he doesn't become Senate Majority Leader after November's midterm election. What do you say to Mitch?"
But McConnell has not said this, a spokesperson confirmed to USA TODAY.
And if Republicans gain control of the narrowly divided Senate after the midterm elections in November, McConnell will run for majority leader, an election he's expected to win, reports say.
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USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the claim for comment.
McConnell never said he would resign
McConnell never said he would resign, David Popp, a spokesperson for McConnell, confirmed to USA TODAY.
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There is no record of McConnell saying he would step down on his Senate website nor on the senator's official Twitter account.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that McConnell said that he will resign if he doesn't become Senate majority leader after November's midterm election. McConnell's spokesperson confirmed he never said he would resign.
Our fact-check sources:
David Popp, July 7, Email exchange with USA TODAY
Politico, Jan. 12, The shadow race to succeed McConnell is on — and all-John
Sen. Mitch McConnell, accessed July 6, Press Releases
The Hill, Jan. 11, McConnell will run for another term as leader despite Trump’s attacks
Sen. Mitch McConnell, accessed July 11, Twitter profile
CSPAN, March 31, Tweet
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: McConnell plans to lead Senate Republicans after midterms
