McConnell Casts 11,000th Vote in Senate

A simple confirmation vote on Thursday ended up being the 11,000th vote of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's career.

The Kentucky Republican is already the longest-serving Senator in his state's history. And last month, he became the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history at 11 years, five months, and 10 days, surpassing former Sen. Bob Dole.

Thursday's vote was routine — like most Senate votes are — and, according to Roll Call, McConnell's milestone was not celebrated much on the chamber floor. The vote was the last of the week and lawmakers headed for the exits afterward to get on with their weekend plans.

The 70-23 vote confirmed Paul C. Ney Jr. as the Department of Defense's general counsel.

McConnell began serving in the Senate in 1985. He has held several positions of leadership, and in 2015 he took over as majority leader.

The longest serving senator in history is the late Robert Byrd, a West Virginia Republican who was in office for more than 51 years before his death at age 92 in 2010.

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