[1][2] McConnell was born in Alice Springs while his parents were based at Willowra Station in the Northern Territory.
In 2016, McConnell won the Labor nomination in the remote seat of Stuart, held by Bess Price of the Country Liberal Party.
During the campaign, McConnell travelled over 60,000 km while husting in the vast electorate, which stretches from northeastern Alice Springs all the way to the Western Australia border.
[4] He was endorsed by Alison Anderson, the retiring independent MP for neighbouring Namatjira and a prominent indigenous activist.
[6] On 3 February 2018, McConnell announced he would not contest the next election, saying he had made a "huge error of judgement" in thinking he could influence government policy in remote areas.