Mitch McConnell statue in the Kentucky State Capitol rotunda? Lawmaker pushes idea

Austin Horn and Hannah Pinski, Lexington Herald-Leader on Mar 26, 2026

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LEXINGTON, Ky., — One of Kentucky’s top state legislators is proposing to place a statue of Sen. Mitch McConnell in the rotunda of the State Capitol when it reopens after renovations.

A resolution from Senate President Robert Stivers, a Republican, filed Thursday would officially recommend placement of a statue of the longtime Kentucky U.S. senator, first elected in 1984, in the highest-traffic area of the Frankfort building.

McConnell, who, at 84 years old, is not seeking reelection this year, cemented his name in the Kentucky and U.S. history books when he became the longest-serving Senate party leader in 2023. He held that role from 2007 to 2024.

The resolution lists McConnell’s accomplishments and, if passed by the Senate, would serve as that body’s recommendation.

“Placing a statue of Senator Mitch McConnell, a distinguished and accomplished world leader and unwavering advocate for this Commonwealth, in the Capitol Rotunda would serve as an honor and testament to his exemplary service and a small token of appreciation from a grateful Commonwealth,” the resolution reads.

Stivers said on the Senate floor Thursday the resolution was meant to “start the discussion” about a statue of McConnell being placed once the building reopens. Currently, estimates place the reopening date around 2029, following a $300 million renovation effort.

When the state capitol building closed down last year — legislative business is now being conducted in temporary chambers attached to the Capitol Annex, and executive branch offices have moved elsewhere in Frankfort — statues of four Kentuckians were in the rotunda.

They are Lexington’s Henry Clay, the famed compromiser and congressman of the mid-1800s; famous pioneer surgeon Ephraim McDowell, of Danville; Senate Democratic leader Alben Barkley of Paducah; and, in the center, a towering statue of president Abraham Lincoln, who was born in Hodgenville.

As of closing time, there was still an empty corner of the rotunda where there once stood a statue of Jefferson Davis, a Kentucky native who served as president of the Confederate States of America during the Civil War.

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear requested early in his tenure that the statue be removed. The Historic Properties Advisory Commission voted 11-1 to remove the 5-ton statue of Davis, which had stood in the Capitol Rotunda since 1936.

In 2024, the GOP-led legislature passed a bill requiring explicit approval by the General Assembly before any statue, monument, or artwork can be added or removed from the rotunda. Critics framed it as sour grapes over the Davis statue removal, but the sponsor insisted it was unrelated. It passed largely on party line; the legislature later overrode Beshear’s veto.

Stivers acknowledged in his floor speech Thursday a limited amount of control over the process.

“We can’t control based on a resolution, but I am making sure everybody knows I’ll do what I can do to create the dynamics and the space to make sure that happens, if possible,” Stivers said.

The McConnell statue could possibly fill Davis’ place, though the resolution offers no directions on its exact placement aside from being “in the New State Capitol Rotunda.” (Kentucky’s current Capitol is the commonwealth’s fourth permanent statehouse since its founding in 1792 and replaced the “Old” State Capitol in downtown Frankfort in the early 1900s.)

There’s been no shortage of ideas to fill the space in the rotunda. Prominent Kentuckians like Louisville boxer Muhammad Ali, barrier-breaking U.S. Navy diver Carl Brashear and “The Great Dissenter” U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan have all been floated as possibilities.

In 2022, a statue of Nettie Depp, a suffragist and education reformer from Barren County, became the first of a woman placed in the capitol, though it is not in the rotunda.

In addition to his record-breaking tenure as party leader, Stivers’ resolution also lists out reasons that Kentuckians should be appreciative of McConnell. It celebrates McConnell as “a staunch advocate for Kentucky” who has “worked diligently to ensure this Commonwealth received the billions of dollars in federal resources to which it is entitled.”

The resolution also mentions that McConnell has three times been named to Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” lists and that he has been called “the most important Republican since Ronald Reagan.”

A spokesperson for Beshear’s office declined to comment on the idea.

Spokespeople for McConnell did not immediately offer comment on Stivers’ proposal.