EIt was precisely the question of whether he wanted to compete again in 2026 that made Mitch McConnell freeze. A recording of Wednesday’s press conference shows the Senate Republican minority leader twice failing to understand the question. The third time, he starts to answer and then freezes for more than twenty seconds. An employee rushes to his side: Did he understand the question? When McConnell only responds with “Yes,” she says, “Excuse me, give us a minute.” Eventually, the 81-year-old man pulls himself together. A statement later said McConnell was “dizzy for a moment.” As a “precautionary measure” he will consult a doctor before the next event.
It was the second time in a month that the Kentucky senator had such a lapse in front of cameras. At the end of July he froze in front of journalists in the Capitol for about half a minute. Back then, too, there had been talk of daze. But the health of one of the most powerful men in Congress raises questions about his fitness for office. In March, the Republican suffered a concussion and fractured a rib in a fall and missed the Senate for nearly six weeks. The Washington Post also reports that McConnell has fallen twice more this year.
Seventh term as Senator
But the Republican wants to remain party leader in the Senate until next year’s election and hold his senatorship until 2027. McConnell is a veteran of American politics: the longest-serving Senate leader in history at 16 and currently in his seventh term as a Senator. But it also exemplifies one of the oldest conventions in the history of the United States – and for the issues of generational renewal and term limits. The median age of senators in the 118th Congress is 65.3, higher than 58 for the entire Congress.
Publicly, a large part of the Republican party has so far been demonstratively rallying around McConnell. His party colleagues express good wishes after the health incidents and express confidence in a speedy recovery. Concerns are only voiced behind closed doors. But the background noise is a sign that after so many years, McConnell’s resignation would mean a tremor for Republicans.
He enjoys strong loyalty among senators and was confirmed as minority leader in November 2022 by a vote of 37 to 10. However, it was the first time McConnell had ever faced an opposition candidate. Once in a functional alliance with Trump — such as appointing conservative lawyers to the Supreme Court — the senator broke with the former president after the January 2021 storming of the Capitol. And so it was Trump loyalists in the Senate who blamed him for the party’s poor performance last year and fielded an opposing candidate.
Which wing will prevail?
In many speeches last year, McConnell emphasized his support for military aid to Ukraine, opposing the Republicans in the House of Representatives. His criticism of Trump has made him unpopular with the Republican base. After his departure, the Republican party will be left with the question of which wing of the divided party will gain the upper hand. Trump supporter Marjorie Taylor-Greene gave a foretaste of upcoming debates on Wednesday. On “X”, formerly Twitter, the Georgia MP published the video of McConnel’s recent lapse.
She wrote: “Biden, McConnell, Feinstein and Fetterman are examples of people who are unable to hold office.” The staff and families of these individuals “should be ashamed that they are encouraging and allowing their loved ones to remain in office.” In the presidential election campaign, it is a big topic that Joe Biden will be 81 years old by the time of the election next year and Donald Trump will also be 78 years old. When asked about McConnell’s repeated failure, Biden said on Wednesday that he wanted to get in touch with him. McConnell is a “good friend” despite political disagreements. He didn’t know enough about the incident to comment.
The criticism of McConnell from the Republican base no longer refers solely to his political statements. When the senator spoke at an event in Kentucky after his first lapse, the audience booed him during his speech: he should retire from politics. In the event of a vacancy, the US Constitution usually gives the state governor the power to appoint a successor for the remainder of the legislature or until a special election.
However, the Republican government of Kentucky passed legislation in 2021 that ensured a Republican succession to McConnell — even though incumbent Governor Andy Beshear is a Democrat. If Beshear resigns, he must choose between three candidates nominated by the party of the outgoing senator.
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