Boston, Nov. 6, 2014, –On his final campaign stop, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., gets a campaign assist from his wife, right, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., second from left, and Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., far left, as they arrive at the Warren County Regional Airport in Sen. Paul’s hometown, Bowling Green, Ky., Monday, Nov. 3, 2014. (AP PHOTO/J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE )
McConnell, a 30-year incumbent, would ascend to majority leader as he holds his seat and Republicans took control of the Senate in Tuesday’s midterm elections. His wife Elaine Chao, a graduate of Harvard Business School and an immigrant from Taiwan, has been a popular politician dating back to Reagan administration. Ms. Chao will become one of the most powerful women in this national when the new Congress begins in Jan. 2015.
Elaine Chao, the 24th U. S. Secretary of Labor who served from 2001-2009, is the first American woman of Asian descent to be appointed to a President’s Cabinet in our nation’s history. She is the longest tenured Secretary of Labor since World War II, and the only member of President Bush’s original cabinet to have served the entire eight years of his Administration.
Picture of the Chao family on the first night when they arrived in the U.S. (file photo).
An immigrant who arrived in America at the age of eight speaking no English, Secretary Chao’s experience transitioning to a new country has motivated her to dedicate most of her professional life to ensuring that all people have the opportunity to build better lives.
Sen. Mitch McConnell says that it’s time for a new direction. The party picked up at least seven Senate seats, which means Republicans now have the majority. The GOP also added at least eight seats in the House giving Republicans control of both Houses of Congress for the first time since 2006. On Friday, all four Congressional leaders will meet with the President Barack Obama.