Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell will receive the 2024 AEI Irving Kristol Award, announced on June 25, 2024.

"In the history of the United States Senate, there has been no more effective advocate for America, for freedom, for the proper role of the three branches of government and the correct relationship between the federal government and the states than Mitch McConnell," said Robert Doar. "All of us at AEI are proud to honor this man of integrity and good judgment."

Leader McConnell is currently serving as the United States Senate Republican leader and holds the record as the longest-serving Senate party leader in American history. He served as Senate majority leader from 2015 to 2021. During his tenure as majority leader, he played a significant role in transforming the federal judiciary by confirming three Supreme Court justices and 30 percent of circuit court judges nationwide. He is also Kentucky’s longest-serving senator, having been elected seven times.

"I am honored to receive the Irving Kristol Award," said Leader McConnell. "This recognition in the name of an intellectual titan is doubly gratifying because it comes from an institution where his example of profoundly influential work continues to thrive."

The AEI’s Irving Kristol Award is presented annually to individuals who have made exceptional practical and intellectual contributions to improve government policy, social welfare, or political understanding. Established in 2002 in honor of AEI Senior Fellow Irving Kristol, it replaced the Francis Boyer Award that had been given for 25 years prior. Past recipients include Gerald Ford, Arthur F. Burns, Henry Kissinger, Ronald Reagan, Antonin Scalia, Dick Cheney, Alan Greenspan, Paul Ryan, and Boris Johnson.

This event is by invitation only. For additional information regarding the Irving Kristol Award or other media inquiries, please contact AEI Media Services at [email protected] or 202-862-5829.