Race relations in the United States have `` certainly gotten better , '' despite widely-varying opinions on the criminal justice system 's fairness , incoming Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Monday . In an interview with CNN 's Dana Bash , the Kentucky Republican called pointed to South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott , a Republican , who in November became the first black senator elected in the South since Reconstruction . `` It 's undeniable there 's been remarkable progress for African-Americans in this country . They 've been elected senators and governors and running major corporations , '' he said . `` But obviously we still have a long way to go . '' Will the Eric Garner case change things ? Debates about race relations have raged since grand juries in Ferguson , Missouri , and New York City failed to indict police officers accused of unnecessarily killing black citizens . Other top Republicans have said race relations have suffered under President Barack Obama , the country 's first black president . One potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate , neurosurgeon Ben Carson , recently said in an interview with Breitbart TV that , `` Things were better before this president was elected . And I think that things have gotten worse because of his unusual emphasis [ on race ] . '' McConnell 's comments come a day after a Bloomberg Politics poll found that 53 percent of Americans believe racial tensions have gotten worse under Obama . McConnell said he did n't want to assess Obama 's role . `` People can draw their own conclusions , '' he said . `` I think we 've come a long way but we probably have way more progress we need to make . '' The criminal justice system should be trusted -- whether its outcomes are popular or not , McConnell said . `` Unfortunately , so much of the criminal justice system seems to be producing different reactions from different people based upon race , '' McConnell said . `` At the end of the day , though , we have to trust the criminal justice system . They bring together people to review evidence , to see whether an indictment is appropriate . `` When that happens some people like it and some do n't . It 's sort of like being a member of Congress . And , I think we 're not happy with where we are , but we just have to keep working on it , '' he said .
Soon - to - be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says that relations in the United States have improved . McConnell says that ` ` we have to improve the criminal justice system ''