Who Is Mitch McConnell's Wife? 5 Things to Know About Elaine Chao

Elaine Chao has been the love of Mitch McConnell's life for more than 30 years.

The U.S. senator, who was previously married to Sherrill Redmon, expressed his gratitude to his wife when he announced his decision to step down as Senate Republican Conference leader in 2024.

"I am eternally grateful to have her by my side," he said.

McConnell previously reflected on his union with Chao, telling TIME, "People remark that I'm in a mixed marriage. I don't see it that way. In my first marriage, I married a liberal. Now that was a mixed marriage. With Elaine, she and I understand one another."

Read on to learn more about McConnell's wife.

The eldest of six daughters, Chao was born in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 26, 1953. She immigrated to the United States at age 8 and became a U.S. citizen at 19.

She attended Dartmouth College for the 12-College Exchange Program and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Mount Holyoke College. She then earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, per her LinkedIn page.

After working in banking, Chao entered government service and became the first Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander to be appointed to a presidential Cabinet.

She served as labor secretary under President George W. Bush and transportation secretary under President Donald Trump, becoming the longest-serving Cabinet secretary since World War II, according to United Way.

"When I entered the workforce, there were not many women, nor many Asian Americans. So I have pretty much been the 'first' in every job I've ever had," Chao said on the "Women to Watch" podcast. "But being different has also given me a different perspective, an outsider perspective which makes me a more compassionate, empathetic, stronger leader."

Between her Cabinet tenures, Chao held leadership roles at the Federal Maritime Commission, Peace Corps, United Way of America, Northwest Airlines, The Clorox Company and HCA Healthcare.

She later served on the boards of Dole Food Company, Protective Life, Wells Fargo, News Corp, Vulcan Materials Company and Ingersoll Rand. Chao retired from Kroger's board of directors in June and currently serves on ChargePoint's board, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Chao met the former Senate Republican leader during a dinner with Stuart Bloch and his wife, Julia Chang, in the 1960s.

"I don't want to say that sparks flew, because that's not the way either of them is," Bloch said of the pair's connection.

Their relationship soon turned romantic, and the couple got married on February 6, 1993, a date that held special meaning for both of them.

"My wife Elaine and I got married on President [Ronald] Reagan's birthday, February 6th. It's probably not the most romantic thing to admit, but Reagan meant a great deal to both of us," he explained in the speech announcing his resignation as Senate majority leader in 2021.

Despite being married for decades, Chao and McConnell have no children together.

"I try not to have too many regrets," she told CNN of the couple's decision not to have children together. "But I will say to young women, you know, when in my generation, we were taught that we can have it all. And so it was thought, well, you have a career. And then you would, you know, have your family and, well, there'd be no problem. Well, it doesn't work like that."

Chao explained, "So I try to counsel young women that they will have to be, regardless as to whether they want it or not, there are tradeoffs and sacrifices in life. And it's important to know when those points occur because it would be a regret if you didn't know you were making that tradeoff and it happened. And there was no chance to go back."

McConnell, on the other hand, welcomed three daughters during his marriage to Redmon.