Mitch McConnell hospitalized, spokesperson says

Sen. Mitch McConnell was admitted to a hospital Sunday morning, his spokesperson said, adding another public health episode for the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican who led Senate Republicans for nearly two decades.

“Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning,” spokesperson David Popp said in a statement. “He is receiving excellent care.”

Popp did not provide details about McConnell’s condition or say what prompted the hospitalization. A representative for McConnell also did not answer The Guardian’s questions about his current condition or the reason for the latest hospital visit.

McConnell, a former Senate majority leader, announced last year that he would not seek reelection this year. His current Senate term is set to end in January 2027, The Guardian reported, and his recent health problems have raised questions about whether he will finish it.

The hospitalization follows a series of incidents in recent years. Earlier this year, McConnell was hospitalized for more than a week after experiencing “flu-like symptoms.” The Guardian reported that the stay lasted eight days.

In 2023, McConnell fell at a Washington dinner event and was later hospitalized with a concussion. The Guardian reported that the fall occurred at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington, D.C., and that he also sustained broken ribs. After that injury, McConnell used a wheelchair, which a spokesperson said was “purely as a precautionary measure.”

McConnell has had other falls as well. In 2019, he fractured his shoulder after falling at home. The Guardian reported that he tripped and fell at least two more times in 2023, including during an international trip to meet with then-Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. He also fell while getting off a plane in Washington, a source told CNN at the time, according to The Guardian.

The longtime senator has also faced scrutiny after several episodes in which he froze on camera while speaking and did not immediately respond to questions during press appearances. He has been seen using a wheelchair to move around the Capitol complex this term after sustaining a fall there.

McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and became Senate Republican leader in 2007. He held that leadership post until early 2025.

Questions about the health and fitness of aging elected officials have become increasingly prominent in Washington in recent years. Former President Joe Biden ended his 2024 reelection campaign after concerns about his mental fitness grew following a widely criticized debate against then-former President Donald Trump. On Capitol Hill, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., faced questions for months about her mental and physical abilities before her death in 2023 at age 90.