Senior GOP Leaders Confirm Recent Contact with Hospitalized Senator McConnell

On Tuesday, the Senate’s two senior Republicans stated that they had spoken with Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, providing brief updates on the condition of the 84‑year‑old lawmaker who has been hospitalized since June 14 amid growing speculation about his health.

Senator John Thune of South Dakota, the majority leader, said he spoke with McConnell by phone on Monday in a lengthy, substantive conversation. Senator John Barrasso of Wyoming, the chamber’s second‑ranking Republican, said he talked with McConnell for about twenty minutes on Tuesday, discussing the Graham Platner controversy and the latest Supreme Court decision on coordinated spending limits.

Scott Jennings, a former adviser to McConnell and CNN analyst, said he spoke with the senator briefly on Tuesday morning, just under twenty minutes.

Jennings added on social media that McConnell is still recovering in the hospital.

These remarks emerge amid heightened rumors and speculation about his condition. His office reiterated that the senator continues to improve and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.

The statements arise amid a surge of rumor and speculation about his condition. His office reiterated that the senator continues to improve and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.

His absence has renewed attention on a 2021 Kentucky statute that altered the process for filling a U.S. Senate vacancy in the state.

Instead of granting the governor unrestricted power to appoint a successor, a temporary appointee must be selected from a list of three individuals vetted by the state executive committee of the senator’s party.

A special election would be triggered to fill the remainder of the term only if the vacancy occurs more than three months before the next scheduled election.

Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat, vetoed the measure, calling it “improper and unconstitutional” to limit the governor’s authority to fill vacancies. However, the Republican‑controlled legislature overrode the veto, and no test case has yet arisen.

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