Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) had another medical episode in Covington, Kentucky. The aging Republican leader appeared to have lost his train of thought, staring into the abyss for at least 30 seconds before aides helped. The press had asked the Kentucky Republican if he planned to run for re-election in 2026.
This incident of mental paralysis is the second time McConnell froze at the podium in less than three months. He had a similar incident on the Hill in July, preceded by a fall at Reagan National Airport. McConnell joins the ranks of Dianne Feinstein and John Fetterman, two other senators, both Democrats, afflicted with severe health issues. Feinstein’s mental abilities have deteriorated immensely over the past 18 months, and she suffered a nasty bout of shingles earlier this year. Fetterman has yet to recover from a catastrophic stroke during the 2022 primaries.
It happened again.
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) August 30, 2023
Sen. Mitch McConnell appears to freeze while taking questions from reporters in Covington, Kentucky. pic.twitter.com/Sb7YoDtWSk
If liberals want to hit Republicans for hypocrisy over attacking Biden’s decrepitude while protecting McConnell, we have plenty of ammunition to redirect at them. But what if McConnell retired? Kentucky’s governor, Andy Beshear, is a Democrat. Still, a new law requires him to appoint a replacement of the same party as the outgoing senator from a list of nominees selected by a committee. And if there is one thing we’ve learned from Politico’s lengthy piece about McConnell earlier this month, it’s that Beshear wants nothing to do with this scenario (via Politico):
Back at Fancy Farm, the political roast in Kentucky, McConnell avoided the press. He ignored questions on his way in and out of the picnic and only hinted at his health in remarks at a local GOP breakfast.
“This is my 28th Fancy Farm, and I want to assure you, it’s not my last,” he said to rousing applause.
What he would have heard shortly after when I sat down to interview Beshear may solidify that plan to remain in office, at least as long as the Democrat is governor.
As Alex Burns and I reported in our book “This Will Not Pass,” Cotton researched the Senate succession laws in every state to make sure Republicans were positioned to benefit in the case of any vacancies.
In 2021, he came to McConnell and told the Kentuckian there was one state that posed a potential problem: McConnell’s own, where state law accorded the governor the right to fill any vacancy.
So at McConnell’s urging, Kentucky’s Republican state legislature that year passed a bill and overrode Beshear’s veto changing that law. Now, a Kentucky governor must appoint a senator of the same party as the departing lawmaker and that successor must come from a list presented by the executive committee of that state party.
Since McConnell’s freeze-up, though, there has been rampant speculation in Kentucky that Beshear would flout the new law, appoint a Democrat were the McConnell seat to come open and fight out the issue in the courts.
So I asked the Democratic governor — who, not coincidentally, is facing reelection this year against McConnell’s protege, state attorney general Daniel Cameron — directly: What would he do if there’s a Senate vacancy from Kentucky?
“I mean, it’s not vacant,” said Beshear. “I’ve talked to his people, he’s doing alright. He’s going to serve out his term.”
[…]
“There’s not going to be a vacancy,” he said, again declining to answer. “That would be total speculation.”
It would be speculation, but one that’s not out of the question given these recurring health scares. McConnell isn’t a stroke victim or suffering from shingles, but his age is catching up. It’s not his fault. There are numerous members of Congress who shouldn’t be up there over these issues. But it’s not out of the question to game out scenarios where McConnell can’t serve this term in office.