Most Influential People2019

Mitch McConnell

By John Boehner
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) holds a news conference after the vote confirming Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.
Erin Schaff—The New York Times/Redux

Washington in recent years has been described as a place that lurches from crisis to crisis.

One person has done more to defuse these crises time and again than any other individual in American government. His steady hand at the tiller of the U.S. Senate has been a source of stability for our economy and certainty in our tumultuous political process. With his mastery of parliamentary procedure and commitment to principled democratic governance, he has shaped the direction of the Supreme Court for generations to come. He has done this while staying true to the priorities of the people from his beloved home state of Kentucky, who with good reason have entrusted him to be their voice in Washington.

My friend Mitch McConnell is that leader. Whatever your politics or ideological inclinations may be, you and your family have been the beneficiaries of his experienced leadership in a challenging moment in our country’s history. Our nation is blessed by his service and the wisdom he brings to high office.

Boehner, a Republican, is a former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives