{"id":344,"date":"2026-07-02T22:38:37","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:38:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homemovechronicle.com\/?p=344"},"modified":"2026-07-02T22:38:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T22:38:37","slug":"something-is-going-on-with-mitch-mcconnells-health-and-his-office-is-being-mighty-cagey-about-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homemovechronicle.com\/?p=344","title":{"rendered":"Something Is Going On With Mitch McConnell\u2019s Health, and His Office Is Being Mighty Cagey About It"},"content":{"rendered":"
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This story is adapted from Slate\u2019s new and revamped Slatest newsletter. You can\u00a0sign up here\u00a0to get it in your inbox every day.<\/p>\n

Read more Nina Totenberg\u2019s Alito Retirement Error Reveals a Much Bigger Problem<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\ufeffUpdate, July 2, 2026, at 6:09 p.m.: This piece has been updated to reflect a new statement from Mitch McConnell\u2019s office.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sen. Mitch McConnell, Senate Republicans\u2019 84-year-old former party leader and long-time bane of Democrats\u2019 existence, checked into a hospital last month and has hardly been heard from since. Let\u2019s break down what we know\u2014and, more pointedly, don\u2019t\u2014about McConnell\u2019s condition, then get into the broader issue of lawmakers not being straight about their health.<\/p>\n

Why do we think McConnell might be really unwell?<\/strong>
Two things happened on June 14: According to police audio unearthed this week, paramedics gave CPR to an \u201cunconscious\u201d person who\u2019d experienced \u201ccardiac arrest\u201d at an address that matches McConnell\u2019s D.C. home. That\u2019s the same day that the Kentucky senator entered the hospital, where a spokesperson said he was \u201creceiving excellent care.\u201d About a week later, McConnell\u2019s office said he was \u201cstill working closely with staff on Senate business and Kentucky matters as he continues his recovery.\u201d This evening, his office finally provided another update: McConnell remains hospitalized but \u201ccontinues to improve.\u201d He last voted on June 11.<\/p>\n

What don\u2019t we know?<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Technically, we don\u2019t know for sure that the police audio was about McConnell, though it\u2019d be a tremendous coincidence if he happened to be hospitalized the same day that someone else in his house got CPR for cardiac arrest. McConnell\u2019s office doesn\u2019t seem eager to get more specific: They still haven\u2019t said why he\u2019s in the hospital.<\/p>\n

McConnell has had health struggles for a while, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2023, McConnell tripped, sustained a concussion, and was away from the Senate for nearly six weeks. Later that year, he twice froze during press conferences, stared into space, and had to be assisted. (His office said he\u2019d felt \u201clightheaded.\u201d) He had additional falls in 2024 and 2025, injuring his wrist and face. (Staff said they were lingering effects of polio, which McConnell had as a child.) In February, he was hospitalized for more than a week with \u201cflu-like symptoms.\u201d When I visited the Capitol in April, I saw aides navigating McConnell around in a wheelchair.<\/p>\n

Not to be dark, but what happens if McConnell dies?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a morbid but fair question. In a narrowly divided Congress, every absence can make it harder to pass legislation or confirm nominees\u2014and even change which party has control. Most deceased senators are succeeded by temporary replacements appointed by their state\u2019s governor. But not in Kentucky. The state\u2019s Republican-dominated Legislature changed the law in 2024 so that any Senate vacancy gets filled not by the governor\u2014who happens to be a Democrat\u2014but via special election. McConnell, ever the wily tactician, may have been planning ahead; he has praised the change, although Kentucky Republicans deny they made it with McConnell\u2019s health in mind. And either way, this is his last term; he\u2019s set to retire in January.<\/p>\n

Is McConnell the only member of Congress out sick?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nope. Rep. Neal Dunn, a 73-year-old Florida Republican who has an undisclosed terminal illness, won\u2019t be casting votes unless House leaders need him to, the outlet Punchbowl News reported today. Rep. Tom Kean Jr., a New Jersey Republican, just returned to the Hill after a nearly four-month absence that he said was a result of depression. And five House members\u2014four of them Democrats\u2014have died in office so far this Congress.<\/p>\n

Read more The Deeper Meaning of Ketanji Brown Jackson vs. Clarence Thomas on Birthright Citizenship<\/a><\/p>\n

Is McConnell being uniquely squirrely about his health?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hiding infirmities from the public is a recurring theme in American politics. Politicians up to the president have done so almost since the beginning of the republic. But things have arguably gotten worse in recent years. The last three presidents (two of them Donald Trump) have been the oldest ever elected, and the share of Congress members who are in their 70s or 80s has skyrocketed. Democrats forced Joe Biden to abandon his reelection bid in 2024 after an at-times-incoherent debate supercharged concerns about his cognitive health. Aging can be a sensitive issue; the rest of us don\u2019t have to do it under a microscope. On the other hand, most of us can\u2019t spend weeks away from our jobs for undisclosed reasons, either. And as the saying goes, with power comes responsibility\u2014in this case, to be transparent with one\u2019s constituents. McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader ever, masterminded Republicans\u2019 successful effort to steal a Supreme Court seat under Barack Obama and is arguably responsible for Trump\u2019s political resurrection after voting to acquit him at his impeachment trial over Jan. 6. But age eventually comes for us all.<\/p>\n

And with that, you\u2019re caught up. For your evening enjoyment, and to help get you in the spirit of the holiday weekend, I\u2019d humbly suggest:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Boozy reads fit for a patriot: <\/strong>Brooke Barbier tells the unbelievable story of how a tax on whiskey nearly tore a young nation apart. And although good wine was hard to find this side of the Atlantic back in Thomas Jefferson\u2019s day, N.C. Stevens explains how winemakers in Jefferson\u2019s beloved Virginia are filling bottles that the Founding Fathers would be proud of.<\/p>\n

A cinematic split-screen: <\/strong>My colleague Sam Adams makes the case that the latest Minions movie offers a better lesson in American history than a new biopic about the young man who grew up to become our first president.<\/p>\n

A preview of the wedding of the century: <\/strong>Slate\u2019s Heather Schwedel followed the breadcrumbs, and it looks like pop icon Taylor Swift will indeed marry her football-playing beau Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden this weekend. Here\u2019s what you need to know.<\/p>\n

Football\u2014the other kind\u2014fit for Independence Day: <\/strong>The U.S., fresh off a win that catapulted them into the World Cup\u2019s round of 16, won\u2019t play again until Monday. Whet your appetite with Argentina vs. Cape Verde at 6 Eastern tomorrow evening, Canada vs. Morocco on Saturday at 1, and Mexico vs. England on Sunday at 8. The tournament\u2019s full schedule is here.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all for now. I\u2019m off tomorrow for the holiday and am wishing you a happy and (safely) pyrotechnic Independence Day. <\/strong>\u2019Til Monday! <\/strong><\/p>\n

Read more Don\u2019t Let the Supreme Court\u2019s Big Decision Fool You. Trump Is Still a Threat to Mail Ballots.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

McConnell checked into a hospital last month. 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