McConnell, back in Kentucky, talks about life in the Senate after leaving longtime leadership post

SHELBYVILLE, Ky. (AP) — For nearly two decades, Mitch McConnell's only job uncertainty hinged on whether he'd serve as Senate majority or minority leader after the next election. With his days as Republican leader now numbered, the Kentuckian is talking more freely about his priorities once he's no longer calling the shots for his party.

During events last week back in the Bluegrass State, McConnell offered fresh details about his decision to step down in November from his role as the longest-serving Senate leader in history, which set off a wave of speculation about the future of his seat. The 82-year-old McConnell still hasn't said for sure whether he might seek another term, leaving others to fill in the gaps, but in a radio interview and a speech, he did grow more expansive about what he hopes to accomplish in the more than two and a half years remaining of his current term.

After months when his public visits back home seemed to taper off amid concerns about his health — though McConnell has meetings and events in Kentucky that aren't publicized to the media — the senator kept the focus on policies he hopes to help move forward in Congress.

“I felt it’s time to shift to a new mission," he said during a speech in Shelbyville. "And I’m certainly not leaving the Senate and still have a lot of interest in the issues that are before us.”