Who will replace Mitch McConnell?

Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has announced that he will step down from GOP leadership after the November general election.

The 82-year-old is the longest-serving party leader in the history of the Senate, having been in the post since 2007.

On the floor of the upper chamber on Wednesday, Mr McConnell said recently losing his sister-in-law had prompted “a certain introspection”.

“Believe me, I know the politics within my party at this particular moment in time. I have many faults. Misunderstanding politics is not one of them,” he said about former President Donald Trump’s takeover of the party.

“One of life’s most underappreciated talents is to know when it’s time to move on to life’s next chapter. So I stand before you today… to say this will be my last term as Republican leader of the senate,” he added.

Here are seven Republican senators who can take over as the party leader in the upper chamber:

From top left: Shelley Moore Capito, John Barrasso, Joni Ernst, John Thune, John Cornyn, and Tom Cotton

Mr Thune, 63, served in the House as South Dakota’s lone representative between 1997 and 2003 before he joined the Senate in 2005.

Between 2009 and 2012, he chaired the Senate Republican Policy Committee, before becoming chair of the Senate Republican Conference, a post he held until 2019 when he ascended to his current role of Senate Republican whip.

Between 2015 and 2019, he also chaired the Commerce Committee.

“He leaves obviously big shoes to fill,” Mr Thune told The Independent about Mr McConnell on Wednesday.

The Wyoming Senator, 71, has been the chair of the Senate Republican Conference since 2019, taking over from Mr Thune.

After serving in the state senate, he became a US senator in 2007. He has