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Questions about Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s health are not altogether new. It was nearly three years ago, for example, when the Kentucky Republican was seen with significant discoloration on his hands and lips, though the senator waved off questions and insisted he was fine.
This year, those questions have grown quite a bit louder. In March, for example, McConnell was hospitalized after tripping at a hotel and was reportedly treated for a concussion. NBC News also reported that the GOP senator tripped and fell disembarking from a plane in July.
Two weeks after that incident, McConnell froze during a Capitol Hill press conference, and at an event in Kentucky last week, the same thing happened.
The minority leader is well aware of the intensifying conversation about his health and his future, and as NBC News reported, McConnell is taking steps to address concerns.
Dr. Brian Monahan, the Capitol attending physician, confirmed in a new letter that he examined Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell after his freeze-up last week and said “there is no evidence” McConnell has a seizure disorder or “experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease.”
“My examination of you following your August 30, 2023, brief episode included several medical evaluations: brain MRI imaging, EEG study and consultations with several neurologists for a comprehensive neurology assessment,” Monahan wrote to McConnell. “There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, TIA or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease,” he continued, referring to a transient ischemic attack.
The senator’s office publicly released the letter yesterday.
With this in mind, let’s review some of the questions generating the most conversation.
Did the physician’s letter set senators’ minds at ease? Not really, no. In fact, several senators — including Rand Paul, McConnell’s home state colleague — were largely dismissive of the letter, questioning Monahan’s assessments.
Is there chatter among GOP senators about possibly replacing McConnell? Yes. Those conversations appear to have begun in July, and they’ve taken on greater urgency in recent days.
Has anyone publicly announced a campaign to succeed McConnell? No, and that almost certainly won’t happen unless the minority leader indicates that he’s unable to do the job. That said, an unnamed senator recently conceded that “the next leadership election is underway.”
How secure is McConnell’s leadership position? It depends on whom you ask. Plenty of Senate Republicans have voiced their public support for the Kentuckian, but outside of the chamber, calls for McConnell’s ouster have become more common among House Republicans, conservative media, and GOP presidential candidates. (Donald Trump, meanwhile, hates McConnell with the heat of a thousand suns.)
Meanwhile, Politico reported last week, “A handful of GOP senators are weighing whether to force a fraught internal debate about their leadership’s future after Mitch McConnell’s second public freeze-up in a month.” The same day, a Punchbowl News report added, “Inside McConnell’s circle, there are doubts about how long he will last as the top Senate Republican.”
What would happen to McConnell’s seat in the event that he’s no longer able to serve? In theory, Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, would be required to appoint a Republican successor due to a law recently approved by the state’s Republican-led legislature.
What do you mean, “in theory”? Well, as it turns out, Beshear doesn’t believe the legislature-approved measure is altogether legal, and the governor won’t commit to honoring it. Or put another way, Beshear might very well appoint a Democrat — in the event that such a vacancy were to occur — and see what happens.
Could the governor simply leave the seat vacant altogether for a long while? There’s been quite a bit of chatter about this possibility, too, and while it’s obviously speculative, such an outcome would be rather ironic given the circumstances.