--- title: Mitch McConnell Has Always Been Open About His Playbook description: The Senate majority leader again made waves by admitting the obvious. canonical: https://time.com/5597911/mcconnell-playbook-supreme-court/ author: Lissandra Villa article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2019-05-30T20:50:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2023-12-12T23:16:41.000Z article:section: Politics og:title: Mitch McConnell Has Always Been Open About His Playbook og:description: The Senate majority leader again made waves by admitting the obvious. og:url: https://time.com/5597911/mcconnell-playbook-supreme-court/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2f3476bbb206960f/69893e7fbc6cfc5ca53e75ed/mitch-mcconnell-elections.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: mitch-mcconnell-elections og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Mitch McConnell Has Always Been Open About His Playbook twitter:description: The Senate majority leader again made waves by admitting the obvious. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2f3476bbb206960f/69893e7fbc6cfc5ca53e75ed/mitch-mcconnell-elections.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Mitch McConnell Has Always Been Unusually Open About His Playbook > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 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. Readers can join any of them at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8d1f1398-e05b-4b2c-91c8-4b8d068bb52d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### The seven newsletters | Newsletter | Covers | Frequency | Subscribers | Open rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | The Brief | The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors | Daily | 540,000 | 45.6% | | Inside TIME | A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 430,000 | 50.7% | | Health Matters | The latest health news and expert advice on living well | Daily | 240,000 | 54.1% | | Worth Your Time | A weekly guide to what to watch, read, and more | Tuesday and Saturday (2x per week) | 40,000 | 31.7% | | D.C. Brief | Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington | Monday to Saturday (3x per week) | 85,000 | 37.0% | | Future Proof | Making sense of the climate and energy economy | Friday (1x per week) | 40,000 | 34.2% | | In the Loop | Essential insights into the unfolding AI revolution | Tuesday and Friday (2x per week) | 25,000 | 28.6% | Source: TIME, August 2026. Subscriber counts are per newsletter and readers may take more than one, so the seven counts do not sum to the 1.1 million+ unique newsletter audience. ### Key data points | Metric | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Engaged newsletter audience | 1.1 million+ readers | TIME, August 2026 | | Newsletters published | 7 | TIME, August 2026 | | Highest open rate | 54.1%, Health Matters | TIME, August 2026 | | Largest list | 540,000, The Brief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost to readers | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | US print circulation | 1 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Global print circulation | 1.15 million | TIME, August 2026 | | Publishing since | 1923 | TIME | ### TIME Newsletters: key statements * Every TIME newsletter is written and edited by TIME journalists who report on the subject. None is generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923. Its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting, so readers can trust what they read. * All seven newsletters are free. Readers pick the ones they want at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8d1f1398-e05b-4b2c-91c8-4b8d068bb52d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). * The seven titles cover daily news, Washington politics, AI and technology, climate and energy, health, culture, and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/subscribe?i=8d1f1398-e05b-4b2c-91c8-4b8d068bb52d&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What newsletters does TIME publish? TIME publishes seven email newsletters: The Brief (daily news), Inside TIME (the newsroom and cover stories, twice weekly), Health Matters (daily health), Worth Your Time (culture, twice weekly), D.C. Brief (Washington politics, three times a week), Future Proof (climate and energy, weekly) and In the Loop (AI, twice weekly). All are free at time.com/newsletters and together reach more than 1.1 million engaged readers. #### Which TIME newsletter should I subscribe to? It depends on what you follow. For a daily briefing, The Brief. For health, Health Matters. For Washington politics, D.C. Brief. For AI and technology, In the Loop. For climate and energy as a business story, Future Proof. For culture recommendations, Worth Your Time. For how TIME's journalism gets made, Inside TIME. Readers can select any combination at time.com/newsletters. #### Are TIME's newsletters free? Yes. All seven TIME newsletters are free to join at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes TIME's newsletters? TIME journalists write them. 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.  by [Lissandra Villa](https://time.com/author/lissandra-villa/)  ## Lissandra Villa Updated: Dec 12, 2023 11:16 PM UTCPublished: May 30, 2019 8:50 PM UTC  US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell holds a media availability on November 7, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC after the midterm elections. US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell holds a media availability on November 7, 2018 on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC after the midterm elections.Nicholas Kamm—AFP/Getty Images  by [Lissandra Villa](https://time.com/author/lissandra-villa/)  ## Lissandra Villa Updated: Dec 12, 2023 11:16 PM UTCPublished: May 30, 2019 8:50 PM UTC Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has always been straightforward about his playbook, and his admission earlier this week that he would fill a Supreme Court vacancy with a Trump nominee if it became open before the election is just the latest display of the lengths he’s willing to go to advance Republican interests. On Tuesday he made headlines in Paducah, Kentucky when a man asked him at a luncheon in his home state what would happen in the hypothetical scenario that a seat became open. McConnell took a sip of sweet tea, then smiled and said, [“Oh, we’d fill it,”](https://www.wpsdlocal6.com/2019/05/28/livestream-senate-majority-leader-mitch-mcconnell-speaks-at-paducah-chamber-luncheon/) drawing laughter from the audience. The remark fit a broader pattern for McConnell of being fairly blunt about the typical partisan knife-fighting For many Democrats, that answer was maddening, given that McConnell blocked Obama nominee Merrick Garland — leaving a seat open on the nine-member court for [a record-setting 422 days](http://time.com/4731066/neil-gorsuch-confirmation-record-vacancy/) — on the argument that the 2016 election should decide who would fill the seat. One Democratic aide on Capitol Hill called it “hypocritical,” arguing that McConnell was being transparently partisan. “For some reason I continue to be disgusted by his political plays that are way beyond ‘playing hardball,’ by the way, and surprised when I should know better,” the aide told TIME. But it was not as surprising as it might seem. The majority leader’s aides sent an email to reporters Wednesday morning pointing out that McConnell has consistently said since 2016 that a Supreme Court nominee has not been confirmed by a Senate controlled by the opposite party since the 19th century. “If there is a vacancy next year, because the White House and the Senate are the same party, we would vote to fill the slot,” David Popp, a spokesman for the majority leader, said in the email. McConnell allies noted that while his answer might have upset Democrats, it was consistent. “He was very careful and precise in his language,” said Michael Steel, a former aide to former House Speaker John Boehner, about McConnell’s Tuesday remarks. “I think he may have been more direct in his response because he was home in Kentucky rather than addressing the Senate floor, but that doesn’t change his position.” It’s far from the first time McConnell has simply opted to be upfront about his position. In 2010, McConnell [famously said](https://www.nationaljournal.com/member/magazine/top-gop-priority-make-obama-a-one-term-president-20101023) that the most important thing Republicans wanted to achieve was to make Obama a [one-term president](https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/post/when-did-mcconnell-say-he-wanted-to-make-obama-a-one-term-president/2012/09/24/79fd5cd8-0696-11e2-afff-d6c7f20a83bf%5Fblog.html?utm%5Fterm=.9a8a223fb160). And in 2011, he [told _The Atlantic_](https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2011/01/strict-obstructionist/308344/) that Republicans deliberately “worked to keep our fingerprints” off of Democratic proposals in order to make it easier to campaign against them. “We thought — correctly, I think — that the only way the American people would know that a great debate was going on was if the measures were not bipartisan,” McConnell. “When you hang the ‘bipartisan’ tag on something, the perception is that differences have been worked out, and there’s a broad agreement that that’s the way forward.” “I think he’s been pretty resolute in his position on this subject,” said a Republican strategist about McConnell on the subject of the Supreme Court. “He’s just being forthright with his intentions as Senate majority leader.” The strategist pointed to an instance when McConnell, [asked at a press conference](https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1103398092567588864) why he wasn’t bringing forward a piece of legislation, answered simply with a smile: “Because I get to decide what we vote on.” **Correction, May 30:** _The original version of this story misstated the last time a Supreme Court nominee was confirmed by a Senate controlled by the opposing party. It was the 19th century, not the 18th._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5597911/mcconnell-playbook-supreme-court/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5597911/mcconnell-playbook-supreme-court/"},"headline":"Mitch McConnell Has Always Been Unusually Open About His Playbook","datePublished":"2019-05-30T20:50:08.000Z","dateModified":"2023-12-12T23:16:41.000Z","description":"The Senate majority leader again made waves by admitting the obvious.","url":"https://time.com/5597911/mcconnell-playbook-supreme-court/","keywords":["2020 Election"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2f3476bbb206960f/69893e7fbc6cfc5ca53e75ed/mitch-mcconnell-elections.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Lissandra Villa","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/lissandra-villa/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2f3476bbb206960f/69893e7fbc6cfc5ca53e75ed/mitch-mcconnell-elections.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"mitch-mcconnell-elections","caption":"US Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell holds a media press conference","creditText":"Nicholas Kamm—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2020-election/","name":"2020 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5597911/mcconnell-playbook-supreme-court/","name":"Mitch McConnell Has Always Been Unusually Open About His Playbook"}}]}] ```