U.S Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell will speak at the Edward M. Kennedy for the United States Senate inaugural public program “Getting to the Point” on May 10.
The Republican leader, elected to that position by his Republican colleagues in 2014, is Kentucky’s longest-serving senator and the second Kentuckian to ever serve as Majority Leader in the U.S. Senate.
First elected to the Senate in 1984, McConnell made history that year as the only Republican challenger in the country to defeat a Democrat incumbent and as the first Republican to win a statewide Kentucky race since 1968.
On May 10, he will feature in “Getting to the Point,” an EMK Institute public program which aims at convening individuals with diverse perspectives to discuss the current issues and challenges facing their community and the U.S. government.  According to the EMK website, the series will take on various formats from town halls to keynote lectures and panel discussions, and will showcase speakers from members of Congress and public officials to celebrities, business people, academics, and ordinary citizens.
Sen. McConnell (R-Ky) and former Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy served in the U.S Senate together for 24 years, from 1985 to 2009, when Sen. Kennedy passed away from the malignant glioma tumor on August of that year.
Though these two American political icons had different political views and ideologies, they both respected each other. At the passing of Sen. Kennedy, Sen. McConnell delivered one of his most touching eulogies. “It is with great sadness … I note the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy, one of the giants of American political life, a longtime Senate colleague, and a friend,” he said. “No one could have known the man without admiring the passion and vigor he poured into a truly momentous life.”
EMK Institute—which was officially opened to the public on March 31 with a notable ceremony featuring President Obama and Vice President Biden, among many other dignitaries— is built to carry the legacy of Ted Kennedy and his undying love for the Senate.
The Institute is a bipartisan center that is dedicated to educating the public about U.S. government, stimulating public discourse, encouraging participatory democracy, and inspiring the next generation of citizens and leaders.
The first inaugural public program “Getting to the Point” will be moderated by New York Times reporter Jackie Calmes.