Meet Elaine Chao, Mitch McConnell’s wife: the US Senate’s longest-serving leader is about to retire, but his partner is a political powerhouse too – from Donald Trump beef to working under George W. Bush
- ‘For 31 years, Elaine has been the love of my life,’ Mitch McConnell said about his wife as he announced his intention to step down as Senate Republican leader this November
- Elaine Chao comes from a wealthy family with links to China – through shipbuilding and even the late Jiang Zemin – and served as secretary of labour under Bush and transportation secretary under Trump
Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, 82 – the longest-serving Senate leader in US history – thanked his wife, Elaine Chao, 71, as he announced he would be stepping down as the Senate Republican leader this November.
“For 31 years, Elaine has been the love of my life, and I am eternally grateful to have her by my side,” he said. The pair have, over the years, solidified themselves as a political power duo, building good relationships with Democrats and Republicans alike.
How did Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao get together?
Chao met McConnell through mutual friends in the early 1990s. Per People, the couple were friends before they dated, and were married in a private ceremony at the chapel on Capitol Hill. According to The Washington Post, the wedding took place on February 6, 1993, with the date partly chosen for being former US president Ronald Reagan’s birthday. In political circles, their union signalled the start of a powerful relationship.
