McConnell biography scheduled for October release

A book about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, which is being called the “first definitive biography” of the Kentucky Republican, will be released just before he steps down from his leadership post.

“The Price of Power: How Mitch McConnell Mastered the Senate, Changed America and Lost his Party,” from Associated Press journalist Michael Tackett will give readers an “intimate look at the personal and political life of one of the most powerful senators in American history,” publisher Simon & Schuster said Thursday.

McConnell, along with more than 100 associates and colleagues, was interviewed for the biography. Tackett also poured through “thousands of pages of archival materials” and letters for the literary project.

“McConnell’s politics evolved with his masterful ability to consolidate and wield power,” the publisher said in promotional materials for the book. “But such success comes at a cost. The Trump years brought with them the rise of an almost unrecognizable Republican party, suffused with a reactive populism that even McConnell himself would struggle to control.”

The book, which includes “expert reporting, unprecedented access, and never-before-published revelations,” is “required reading for anyone interested in understanding one of America’s most influential legislators and the inner workings of our government,” its publisher said.

The book is poised to hit shelves in late October.

The 82-year-old McConnell, the longest-serving Senate party leader in history, announced in a February Senate floor speech that he would step down from his leadership post in November, following the election. McConnell has said that he intends to serve out the remainder of his term, which ends in January 2027.