Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said Monday that he has no plans to retire or resign soon after speculation over his health.
McConnell, 81, has faced some calls to step down after reports of a recent concussion after a fall and “freezing” during a recent press conference.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said in an interview on Monday that he will not be going anywhere "anytime soon" despite lingering questions about his health. https://t.co/rx3EI8z1VZ
— NEWSMAX (@NEWSMAX) August 14, 2023
The current situation
“In an interview with Politico released on Monday, politics Bureau Chief Jonathan Martin said to the senator, during a conversation on divisions within the GOP, ‘You’re not going anywhere,’ to which McConnell responded, ‘Not anytime soon,'” Newsmax reported.
“Politico also reported that McConnell has suffered from hearing loss since his fall in March, and continues to deal with the remaining effects of polio he had as a child,” it added.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s health issues are becoming a problem for his own party. https://t.co/NdrEQ3UcbJ
— The New Republic (@newrepublic) August 14, 2023
Health concerns grow
“Mitch McConnell’s worsening health had been largely out of view of the American public, until a press conference last month where he fell eerily silent, and had to be escorted away,” the New Republic reported.
“The senator has declined to explain the incident, and whether or not it was connected to a fall he took in March which resulted in a concussion and weeks-long absence from the Senate,” it added.
Mitch McConnell says he is not going anywhere 'anytime soon' after health scrutiny https://t.co/Bn6i7Rgv4D
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) August 14, 2023
A future vacancy?
“[T]he GOP-led Kentucky legislature passed a bill in 2021 that would require a governor to fill an empty U.S. Senate seat with a member of the same party as the departed senator,” the Washington Examiner reported.
“Talks that Beshear would challenge the Republican-supported law if McConnell left his seat empty have circulated since his health episode,” it continued.
McConnell’s term lasts until January 2027, leaving more than three years before he would likely retire at over 84 years of age.
Many Republicans are likely expected to encourage McConnell to continue until the end of his term to avoid a governor-appointed replacement, especially as it would include replacing the top GOP Senate leader.
For now, questions continue as McConnell’s age and multiple health concerns may come to a point where it hurts the party and country enough to require a push for a change in the current situation.
