Bob Packwood
Encyclopedia
Robert William "Bob" Packwood (born September 11, 1932) is a U.S. politician
from Oregon
and a member of the Republican Party
. He resigned from the United States Senate
, under threat of expulsion
, in 1995 after allegations of sexual harassment
, abuse
and assault of women emerged.
, graduated from Grant High School in 1950, and then in 1954 graduated from Willamette University
in Salem
.
Packwood is the great-grandson of William H. Packwood
, the youngest member of the Oregon Constitutional Convention
of 1857. Packwood had his great-grandfather’s political bent from his early years. During his undergraduate years, he participated in Young Republican activities and worked on political campaigns, including later Governor and US Senator Mark Hatfield
's first run for the Oregon House of Representatives
. He received the prestigious Root-Tilden Scholarship
to New York University Law School, where he earned national awards in moot court competition and was elected student body president. After graduating from the NYU Law School in 1957, he was admitted to the bar and practiced law in Portland.
Republican Central Committee, thus becoming the youngest party chairman of a major metropolitan area in the country. In 1962, he became the youngest member of the Oregon Legislature when he was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives
after a campaign waged by what The Oregonian
called “one of the most effective working organizations in many an election moon in Oregon.” Hundreds of volunteers went door-to-door distributing leaflets throughout the district and put up lawn signs that became “literally a geographical feature” of the district. Because of the effectiveness of his own campaigns, Packwood was selected to organize a political action committee that recruited attractive Republican candidates for the Oregon House throughout the state, and trained them in “Packwood-style” campaigning methods. The success of his candidates was credited with the Republican takeover of the Oregon House, thus making Oregon the only state in the Union in which the Republicans were able to score a significant victory in 1964.
He was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives
from 1963 to 1968. In 1965, he founded the Dorchester Conference, an annual political conclave on the Oregon coast that “pointedly ignored state leadership in the Grand Old Party“ to bring Republican officeholders and citizens together to discuss current issues and pass resolutions taking stands on those issues. Initially a forum for liberal politics, it has become an annual networking event for Oregon Republicans.
, Packwood won the Republican nomination to run for the U.S. Senate against Democrat Wayne Morse
. Morse had been elected to the Senate as a Republican in 1944 and 1950, then switched parties due to his liberal views, and was easily reelected as a Democrat in 1956
and 1962
. The relatively unknown Packwood was given little chance, but after an 11th-hour debate with the incumbent, which Packwood was generally considered to have won, and a statewide recount in which over 100,000 ballots were challenged by both parties, Packwood was declared the winner by 3500 votes. He then replaced Senator Ted Kennedy as the youngest senator.
Packwood was reelected in 1974
, 1980
, 1986
, and 1992
. He became “one of the country’s most powerful elected officials”. His voting record was moderate. He supported restrictions on gun owners and liberal civil rights legislation.
Two years before Roe v. Wade he introduced the Senate's first abortion legalization bill, but he was unable to attract a cosponsor for either. His pro-choice
stance earned him the loyalty of many feminist groups and numerous awards including those from the Planned Parenthood
Federation of America (January 10, 1983) and the National Women’s Political Caucus (October 23, 1985). In 1987, Packwood crossed party lines
to vote against the nomination of Robert Bork
to the Supreme Court
, and he was one of only two Republicans to vote against the nomination of Clarence Thomas
to the court. Both votes were based on the nominees’ opposition to abortion rights.
Packwood differed with President Richard M. Nixon on some prominent issues. He voted against Nixon’s Supreme Court nominees Clement Haynsworth
and G. Harrold Carswell, “two of Nixon’s most embarrassing defeats,” as well as Nixon’s proposals for the B-1 bomber
, submarines capable of carrying the Trident missile and the supersonic transport
(SST). He became the first Senate Republican to support Nixon’s impeachment. In a White House meeting of November 15, 1973, he told President Nixon that the public no longer believed the President and no longer trusted the integrity of the administration.
He played a major role in the enactment of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area
Act, which protected scenic Hells Canyon
, the deepest river gorge in North America, by making it into a 652488 acres (2,640.5 km²) National Recreation Area
on the borders of northeastern Oregon and western Idaho. Packwood sponsored the bill, and was credited with becoming “a genuine leader in the preservation battle” in Congress and in the end, second only to the idea’s originator “the single most important individual in the history of Hells Canyon preservation”. Environmentalists also praised his advocacy of solar energy, returnable bottles and bike paths.
Deregulation was another interest. In the late 1970s he became a passionate supporter of trucking deregulation and a “persuasive spokesman for reform.” When deregulation became law, “newspaper editorials praised Packwood for his pivotal role in the deregulation battle.”
He has been described as an ardent pro-Israel supporter. He, along with Tom Dine
, opposed the F-15 sale to the Saudis under President Reagan.
He was most noted for his role in the 1986 “unlikely triumph of tax reform” while he was chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. President Ronald Reagan
had proposed the idea of tax reform in 1984, but Packwood's initial response was indifference. However, he played a leading role in fashioning "a radically new tax code that will raise business taxes by some $120 billion over five years—and lower personal income taxes by roughly the same amount." Historians of the Act have written that his turnaround “revived the dying tax reform bill”, and credited his “ingenuity and astonishing legislative skill” with passage of the law, which “despite its warts and wrinkles…succeeded at the fundamental purpose of reform.”
Packwood’s debating skills were rated A+ in USA Today, July 18, 1986. But his debating and legislative skills could kill bills as well as pass them. His “masterful” floor management has been credited with killing President Clinton’s 1993 health care bill. And he could be stubborn; in 1988 he was carried feet-first into the Senate Chamber by Capitol Police for a quorum call
on campaign finance reform legislation.
, as Packwood had denied the allegations and the Post had not gathered enough of the story at the time. Packwood defeated Democrat Les AuCoin
52.1% to 46.5%.
As the situation developed, Packwood's diary became an issue. Wrangling over whether the diary could be subpoenaed and whether it was protected by the Fifth Amendment
's protection against self-incrimination ensued. He did turn over 5000 pages to the Senate Ethics Committee
but balked when a further 3200 pages were demanded by the committee. It was discovered that he had edited the diary, removing what were allegedly references to sexual encounters and the sexual abuse allegations made against him. Packwood then made what some of his colleagues interpreted as a threat to expose wrongdoing by other members of Congress. The diary allegedly detailed some of his abusive behavior toward women and, according to a press statement made by former Nevada Senator Richard Bryan
, “raised questions about possible violations of one or more laws, including criminal laws."
won the seat in a special election
.
Two years later, during debate on Clinton's impeachment, fellow Republican Mitch McConnell
, a close friend of Packwood's, said that the Republicans knew that it was very likely Packwood's seat would fall to the Democrats if Packwood were forced out. However, McConnell said, he and his fellow Republicans felt that it came down to a choice of "retain(ing) the Senate seat or retain(ing) our honor".
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
from Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
and a member of the Republican Party
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
. He resigned from the United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
, under threat of expulsion
Expulsion from the United States Congress
Expulsion is the most serious form of disciplinary action that can be taken against a Member of Congress. Article I, Section 5 of the United States Constitution provides that "Each House [of Congress] may determine the Rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with...
, in 1995 after allegations of sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
, abuse
Sexual abuse
Sexual abuse, also referred to as molestation, is the forcing of undesired sexual behavior by one person upon another. When that force is immediate, of short duration, or infrequent, it is called sexual assault. The offender is referred to as a sexual abuser or molester...
and assault of women emerged.
Early life and career
Packwood was born in Portland, OregonPortland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, graduated from Grant High School in 1950, and then in 1954 graduated from Willamette University
Willamette University
Willamette University is an American private institution of higher learning located in Salem, Oregon. Founded in 1842, it is the oldest university in the Western United States. Willamette is a member of the Annapolis Group of colleges, and is made up of an undergraduate College of Liberal Arts and...
in Salem
Salem, Oregon
Salem is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river forms the boundary between Marion and Polk counties, and the city neighborhood...
.
Packwood is the great-grandson of William H. Packwood
William H. Packwood
William Henderson Packwood , was an American politician who served at the Oregon Constitutional Convention in 1857. A United States Army veteran from the state of Illinois, he was also a school superintendent and acquaintance of President Abraham Lincoln...
, the youngest member of the Oregon Constitutional Convention
Oregon Constitutional Convention
The Oregon Constitutional Convention in 1857 drafted the Oregon Constitution in preparation for the Oregon Territory to become a U.S. state. Held from mid-August through September, 60 men met in Salem, Oregon, and created the foundation for Oregon's law. The proposal passed with a vote of 35 for...
of 1857. Packwood had his great-grandfather’s political bent from his early years. During his undergraduate years, he participated in Young Republican activities and worked on political campaigns, including later Governor and US Senator Mark Hatfield
Mark Hatfield
Mark Odom Hatfield was an American politician and educator from the state of Oregon. A Republican, he served for 30 years as a United States Senator from Oregon, and also as chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee...
's first run for the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
. He received the prestigious Root-Tilden Scholarship
Root-Tilden Scholarship
OverviewThe is a full-tuition public service scholarship for students at New York University School of Law.-The Program:...
to New York University Law School, where he earned national awards in moot court competition and was elected student body president. After graduating from the NYU Law School in 1957, he was admitted to the bar and practiced law in Portland.
Lawyer turned legislator
In 1960, he was elected Chairman of the Multnomah CountyMultnomah County, Oregon
Multnomah County is one of 36 counties in the U.S. state of Oregon. Though smallest in area, it is the most populous as its county seat, Portland, is the state's largest city...
Republican Central Committee, thus becoming the youngest party chairman of a major metropolitan area in the country. In 1962, he became the youngest member of the Oregon Legislature when he was elected to the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
after a campaign waged by what The Oregonian
The Oregonian
The Oregonian is the major daily newspaper in Portland, Oregon, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 1850...
called “one of the most effective working organizations in many an election moon in Oregon.” Hundreds of volunteers went door-to-door distributing leaflets throughout the district and put up lawn signs that became “literally a geographical feature” of the district. Because of the effectiveness of his own campaigns, Packwood was selected to organize a political action committee that recruited attractive Republican candidates for the Oregon House throughout the state, and trained them in “Packwood-style” campaigning methods. The success of his candidates was credited with the Republican takeover of the Oregon House, thus making Oregon the only state in the Union in which the Republicans were able to score a significant victory in 1964.
He was a member of the Oregon House of Representatives
Oregon House of Representatives
The Oregon House of Representatives is the lower house of the Oregon Legislative Assembly. There are 60 members of the House, representing 60 districts across the state, each with a population of 57,000. The House meets at the Oregon State Capitol in Salem....
from 1963 to 1968. In 1965, he founded the Dorchester Conference, an annual political conclave on the Oregon coast that “pointedly ignored state leadership in the Grand Old Party“ to bring Republican officeholders and citizens together to discuss current issues and pass resolutions taking stands on those issues. Initially a forum for liberal politics, it has become an annual networking event for Oregon Republicans.
U.S. Senator
In 1968United States Senate election in Oregon, 1968
The 1968 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 5, 1968. Incumbent Democratic U.S. Senator Wayne Morse was narrowly defeated by Republican Bob Packwood.-Democratic primary:...
, Packwood won the Republican nomination to run for the U.S. Senate against Democrat Wayne Morse
Wayne Morse
Wayne Lyman Morse was a politician and attorney from Oregon, United States, known for his proclivity for opposing his parties' leadership, and specifically for his opposition to the Vietnam War on constitutional grounds....
. Morse had been elected to the Senate as a Republican in 1944 and 1950, then switched parties due to his liberal views, and was easily reelected as a Democrat in 1956
United States Senate election in Oregon, 1956
The 1956 Oregon United States Senate election was held on November 7, 1956 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of Oregon. Republican-turned-Independent-turned Democratic Senator Wayne Morse decided to seek re-election for his first full term as a Democrat. Morse defeated Republican candidate...
and 1962
United States Senate election in Oregon, 1962
The 1962 Oregon United States Senate election was held on November 8, 1962 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of Oregon. Democratic Senator Wayne Morse decided to seek re-election for a fourth term. He defeated Republican candidate Sig Unander in the general election.-Results:...
. The relatively unknown Packwood was given little chance, but after an 11th-hour debate with the incumbent, which Packwood was generally considered to have won, and a statewide recount in which over 100,000 ballots were challenged by both parties, Packwood was declared the winner by 3500 votes. He then replaced Senator Ted Kennedy as the youngest senator.
Packwood was reelected in 1974
United States Senate election in Oregon, 1974
The 1974 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 5, 1974.Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Bob Packwood won re-election to a second term. Roberts was chosen to replace former U.S. Senator Wayne Morse, who won the Democratic primary but died before the general...
, 1980
United States Senate election in Oregon, 1980
The 1980 Oregon United States Senate election was held on November 4, 1980 to select the U.S. Senator from the state of Oregon. Republican candidate Bob Packwood was re-elected to a third term, defeating Democratic state senator Ted Kulongoski and Libertarian Tonie Nathan.-Volcano eruption:The...
, 1986
United States Senate election in Oregon, 1986
The 1986 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 8, 1986. Incumbent Bob Packwood ran for re-election. U.S. Congressman Jim Weaver received the Democratic nomination. A populist Democratic congressman from Eugene, Oregon, he was a darling of the environmentalists. Weaver...
, and 1992
United States Senate election in Oregon, 1992
The 1992 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Bob Packwood won re-election to his fifth term.-Background:...
. He became “one of the country’s most powerful elected officials”. His voting record was moderate. He supported restrictions on gun owners and liberal civil rights legislation.
Two years before Roe v. Wade he introduced the Senate's first abortion legalization bill, but he was unable to attract a cosponsor for either. His pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
stance earned him the loyalty of many feminist groups and numerous awards including those from the Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
Federation of America (January 10, 1983) and the National Women’s Political Caucus (October 23, 1985). In 1987, Packwood crossed party lines
Party line (politics)
In politics, the line or the party line is an idiom for a political party or social movement's canon agenda, as well as specific ideological elements specific to the organization's partisanship. The common phrase toeing the party line describes a person who speaks in a manner that conforms to his...
to vote against the nomination of Robert Bork
Robert Bork
Robert Heron Bork is an American legal scholar who has advocated the judicial philosophy of originalism. Bork formerly served as Solicitor General, Acting Attorney General, and judge for the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit...
to the Supreme Court
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, and he was one of only two Republicans to vote against the nomination of Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas
Clarence Thomas is an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Succeeding Thurgood Marshall, Thomas is the second African American to serve on the Court....
to the court. Both votes were based on the nominees’ opposition to abortion rights.
Packwood differed with President Richard M. Nixon on some prominent issues. He voted against Nixon’s Supreme Court nominees Clement Haynsworth
Clement Haynsworth
Clement Furman Haynsworth, Jr. was a United States judge and an unsuccessful nominee for the United States Supreme Court....
and G. Harrold Carswell, “two of Nixon’s most embarrassing defeats,” as well as Nixon’s proposals for the B-1 bomber
B-1 Lancer
The Rockwell B-1 LancerThe name "Lancer" is only applied to the B-1B version, after the program was revived. is a four-engine variable-sweep wing strategic bomber used by the United States Air Force...
, submarines capable of carrying the Trident missile and the supersonic transport
Supersonic transport
A supersonic transport is a civilian supersonic aircraft designed to transport passengers at speeds greater than the speed of sound. The only SSTs to see regular service to date have been Concorde and the Tupolev Tu-144. The last passenger flight of the Tu-144 was in June 1978 with its last ever...
(SST). He became the first Senate Republican to support Nixon’s impeachment. In a White House meeting of November 15, 1973, he told President Nixon that the public no longer believed the President and no longer trusted the integrity of the administration.
He played a major role in the enactment of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area
Hells Canyon National Recreation Area
Hells Canyon National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area located on the borders of the U.S. states of Oregon and Idaho. The recreation area was established by U.S...
Act, which protected scenic Hells Canyon
Hells Canyon
Hells Canyon is a wide canyon located along the border of eastern Oregon and western Idaho in the United States. It is North America's deepest river gorge at and part of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area....
, the deepest river gorge in North America, by making it into a 652488 acres (2,640.5 km²) National Recreation Area
National Recreation Area
National Recreation Area is a designation for a protected area in the United States, often centered on large reservoirs and emphasizing water-based recreation for a large number of people. The first National Recreation Area was the Boulder Dam Recreation Area...
on the borders of northeastern Oregon and western Idaho. Packwood sponsored the bill, and was credited with becoming “a genuine leader in the preservation battle” in Congress and in the end, second only to the idea’s originator “the single most important individual in the history of Hells Canyon preservation”. Environmentalists also praised his advocacy of solar energy, returnable bottles and bike paths.
Deregulation was another interest. In the late 1970s he became a passionate supporter of trucking deregulation and a “persuasive spokesman for reform.” When deregulation became law, “newspaper editorials praised Packwood for his pivotal role in the deregulation battle.”
He has been described as an ardent pro-Israel supporter. He, along with Tom Dine
Tom Dine
Tom Dine is the current senior policy advisor at Israel Policy Forum , assisting with policy, programming, and development decision-making in the Washington office...
, opposed the F-15 sale to the Saudis under President Reagan.
He was most noted for his role in the 1986 “unlikely triumph of tax reform” while he was chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. President Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
had proposed the idea of tax reform in 1984, but Packwood's initial response was indifference. However, he played a leading role in fashioning "a radically new tax code that will raise business taxes by some $120 billion over five years—and lower personal income taxes by roughly the same amount." Historians of the Act have written that his turnaround “revived the dying tax reform bill”, and credited his “ingenuity and astonishing legislative skill” with passage of the law, which “despite its warts and wrinkles…succeeded at the fundamental purpose of reform.”
Packwood’s debating skills were rated A+ in USA Today, July 18, 1986. But his debating and legislative skills could kill bills as well as pass them. His “masterful” floor management has been credited with killing President Clinton’s 1993 health care bill. And he could be stubborn; in 1988 he was carried feet-first into the Senate Chamber by Capitol Police for a quorum call
Quorum call
A quorum call or call to quorum is a parliamentary procedure used to summon absent members of a deliberative body if a quorum is not present. Since attendance at debates is not mandatory in most legislatures, it is often the case that a quorum of members is not present while debate is ongoing...
on campaign finance reform legislation.
Sexual misconduct allegations
Packwood's political career began to unravel in November 1992, when a Washington Post story detailed the claims of sexual abuse and assault by ten women, chiefly former staffers and lobbyists. Publication of the story was delayed until after the 1992 electionUnited States Senate election in Oregon, 1992
The 1992 United States Senate election in Oregon was held on November 3, 1992. Incumbent Republican U.S. Senator Bob Packwood won re-election to his fifth term.-Background:...
, as Packwood had denied the allegations and the Post had not gathered enough of the story at the time. Packwood defeated Democrat Les AuCoin
Les AuCoin
Walter Leslie "Les" AuCoin , is an American politician and the first Democrat elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from since it was formed in 1882. The seat has been held by a Democrat ever since....
52.1% to 46.5%.
As the situation developed, Packwood's diary became an issue. Wrangling over whether the diary could be subpoenaed and whether it was protected by the Fifth Amendment
Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, protects against abuse of government authority in a legal procedure. Its guarantees stem from English common law which traces back to the Magna Carta in 1215...
's protection against self-incrimination ensued. He did turn over 5000 pages to the Senate Ethics Committee
United States Senate Select Committee on Ethics
The U.S. Senate Select Committee on Ethics is a select committee of the United States Senate charged with dealing with matters related to senatorial ethics. It is also commonly referred to as the Senate Ethics Committee...
but balked when a further 3200 pages were demanded by the committee. It was discovered that he had edited the diary, removing what were allegedly references to sexual encounters and the sexual abuse allegations made against him. Packwood then made what some of his colleagues interpreted as a threat to expose wrongdoing by other members of Congress. The diary allegedly detailed some of his abusive behavior toward women and, according to a press statement made by former Nevada Senator Richard Bryan
Richard Bryan
Richard Hudson "Dick" Bryan is an American politician. He served as the 25th Governor of the U.S. state of Nevada from 1983 to 1989. He is a former United States Senator from Nevada. He is a member of the Democratic Party.-Early life:...
, “raised questions about possible violations of one or more laws, including criminal laws."
Expulsion recommendation and resignation
Despite public pressure for open hearings, the Senate ultimately decided against them. With pressure mounting against him, Packwood announced his resignation from the Senate on September 7, 1995, after the Senate Ethics Committee unanimously recommended that he be expelled from the Senate for ethical misconduct. (The Ethics Committee membership is evenly divided between both parties.) Democratic Congressman Ron WydenRon Wyden
Ronald Lee "Ron" Wyden is the senior U.S. Senator for Oregon, serving since 1996, and a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served in the United States House of Representatives from 1981 to 1996....
won the seat in a special election
United States Senate special election in Oregon, 1996
The 1996 United States Senate special election in Oregon was held on January 30, 1996 to fill the seat vacated by Republican Bob Packwood, who resigned from the Senate due to sexual misconduct allegations. Democrat Ron Wyden won the open seat. Smith would win election to the Senate later that year...
.
Two years later, during debate on Clinton's impeachment, fellow Republican Mitch McConnell
Mitch McConnell
Addison Mitchell "Mitch" McConnell, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Kentucky and the Republican Minority Leader.- Early life, education, and military service :...
, a close friend of Packwood's, said that the Republicans knew that it was very likely Packwood's seat would fall to the Democrats if Packwood were forced out. However, McConnell said, he and his fellow Republicans felt that it came down to a choice of "retain(ing) the Senate seat or retain(ing) our honor".