Jefferson County Judge-Executive Mitch McConnell announced his intention to run for the U.S. Senate during a news conference Jan. 17, 1984, at Blue Grass Airport in Lexington. McConnell went on to defeat incumbent Democrat Walter Dee Huddleston for the seat. Senate Republicans re-elected McConnell, 74, on Wednesday to be majority leader next year. McConnell was Senate minority leader for eight years before becoming majority leader when the GOP took control in 2015. He is the longest-serving U.S. senator in Kentucky history. Photo by Ron Garrison | Staff