Will Mitch McConnel be the Republican majority or minority leader in the U.S. Senate after the next Congress is inaugurated? For this to resolve YES, he just has to be elected as the Republican leader at the beginning of the Senate term. It doesn't matter if he remains the leader for the full term. It doesn't count if he becomes the leader later in the term but isn't elected at the beginning of the term (e.g., if someone else is elected as the Republican leader, but then dies or is ousted and replaced by McConnell).