--- title: Why Barack Obama Never Talked To Mitch McConnell on Election Night description: For the second time, the President struggles with Election Night well wishes to Republicans. But Vice President Joe Biden got through. canonical: https://time.com/3558682/mitch-mcconnell-barack-obama/ author: Jay Newton-Small article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-11-05T16:44:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2024-01-24T15:17:03.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Why Barack Obama Never Talked To Mitch McConnell on Election Night og:description: For the second time, the President struggles with Election Night well wishes to Republicans. But Vice President Joe Biden got through. og:url: https://time.com/3558682/mitch-mcconnell-barack-obama/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0817f80a6228a5e2/698764463c16390d1a44f72c/cm_sen_mitch_mcconnell_11_04_14_207.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: cm_Sen_Mitch_McConnell_11_04_14_207 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Why Barack Obama Never Talked To Mitch McConnell on Election Night twitter:description: For the second time, the President struggles with Election Night well wishes to Republicans. But Vice President Joe Biden got through. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt0817f80a6228a5e2/698764463c16390d1a44f72c/cm_sen_mitch_mcconnell_11_04_14_207.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Why Barack Obama Never Talked To Mitch McConnell on Election Night > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=fb194688-5f17-4850-892c-af23e098aa80&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Senator Mitch McConnell's Victory Speech [Watch (HLS stream): Senator Mitch McConnell's Victory Speech](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Rss0wZMV.m3u8) (1:14)  _Published 2014-11-05. Senator Mitch McConnell's Victory Speech_  by [Jay Newton-Small](https://time.com/author/jay-newton-small/)  ## Jay Newton-Small Updated: Jan 24, 2024 3:17 PM UTCPublished: Nov 5, 2014 4:44 PM UTC  Sen. Mitch McConnell at his election night celebration in Louisville, Ky. on Nov. 4, 2014. Sen. Mitch McConnell at his election night celebration in Louisville, Ky. on Nov. 4, 2014. Christopher Morris—VII for TIME  by [Jay Newton-Small](https://time.com/author/jay-newton-small/)  ## Jay Newton-Small Updated: Jan 24, 2024 3:17 PM UTCPublished: Nov 5, 2014 4:44 PM UTC President Barack Obama called to congratulate Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell on winning the job of Senate leader between 12:30 and 1 a.m. Wednesday morning. The only problem: By then, McConnell and his wife, former Secretary Elaine Chao, had already left for home and some much needed sleep after a grueling campaign, McConnell aides say. MORE: [See all the election results](http://time.com/2014-midterm-election-results/) The President left a message. Vice President Joe Biden, by contrast, called about an hour earlier, and was able to get through to his longtime Senate colleague. McConnell aides say they expect he’ll connect with the President later Wednesday and that he’s looking forward to having lunch at the White House on Friday. This isn’t the first time the Obama White House has struggled to connect with an Election Night phone call, [as I reported exclusively in 2011](http://swampland.time.com/2011/04/11/5-things-obama%E2%80%99s-learned-about-boehner/). --- > “” --- Update from Zeke Miller: From a White House Official: Last night the President phoned dozens of House, Senate, Gubernatorial candidates of both parties, and members the House and Senate leadership. The list of those lawmakers he connected with are below, and he is continuing additional calls throughout the day. Senator Harry Reid Senator Dick Durbin Senator Michael Bennet AR Governor-elect Asa Hutchinson SD Senator-elect Mike Rounds WV Senator-elect Shelly Moore Capito MI Senator-elect Gary Peters Senator Lindsey Graham Senator Jim Inhofe Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz Leader Nancy Pelosi Governor-elect Tom Wolf, PA Senator-elect James Lankford, OK Senator-elect Tom Cotton, AR Governor John Kasich Senator Susan Collins Senator Ed Markey Senator Jeff Sessions Senator Cory Booker Senator Tim Scott Senator Al Franken Senator Mark Pryor Congressman-elect Seth Moulton Governor Robert Bentley Governor Bill Haslam _Read next:_ [_Obama Says He Wants to ‘Get Stuff Done’_](http://time.com/3559459/obama-get-stuff-done-midterms-elections/?xid=time%5Freadnext) ## Transcript [00:03] [ NOISE ] On a night like tonight, you're [00:08] grateful, above all else. [ NOISE ] And for me that [00:12] gratitude starts with the people of Kentucky. [ NOISE ] [00:20] They've put their trust in. Confidence in me for a long [00:23] time. And I wanna thank them tonight. I [00:29] work hard to bring your concerns to Washington, and I [00:31] will not let up. [ APPLAUSE ] A [00:35] little while ago, I spoke with my opponent. Secretary [00:39] Brams ran a spirited campaign. She earned a lot of [00:42] votes and she earned my respect. It [00:46] took a lot of guts to take on a race like this. Because of [00:49] the business we're in it also meant she'd take some [00:51] heat. I admire her willingness to step into the arena [00:55] and fight as hard as she did. We need more people [00:59] who are willing to do that. Not fewer. She deserves [01:03] a lot of credit for it. This was certainly a hard fought [01:07] contest. 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