McConnell freezes on midterm question
The gist
Kentucky Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, 84, said he was "briefly unconscious" around his June hospitalization.
His prolonged stay has revived questions about who finishes his Senate term.
How it unfolded
- 2023McConnell was hospitalized with a concussion in March 2023 after falling in a Washington, DC, hotel and missed several weeks of work; he twice froze up during news conferences after returning.
- 2023According to the Louisville Courier Journal, he collapsed three times in 2023, suffering a concussion and a broken rib that ultimately led to him using a wheelchair.
- Feb 2025McConnell announced he would not seek reelection in 2026 but said he intends to serve out the remainder of his Senate term, which ends in January 2027.
Key terms
- Senate Minority Leader
- A U.S. senator chosen by their party caucus to serve as chief spokesperson and leader of the chamber's majority party.
- midterms
- US general elections held near the midpoint of a president's four-year term, when all House seats and about a third of Senate seats are contested.
- Republican
- The Republican Party, one of the two major political parties in the United States.
Source: Wikipedia