Sen. Mitch McConnell’s office said on Friday that the Senate minority leader plans to serve through the rest of the 118th Congress.
The 81-year-old Republican senator from Kentucky faced questions and concerns since he froze up for more than 20 seconds during a press conference on Wednesday, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
Sen. John Thune (R-SD) stepped behind the podium and temporarily replaced McConnell.
The startling moment came about four months after McConnell suffered a concussion and broken rib during a fall in March.
“Leader McConnell appreciates the continued support of his colleagues, and plans to serve his full term in the job they overwhelmingly elected him to do,” a spokesperson for McConnell’s office told Politico.
McConnell fell at least two other times in 2023, USA Today reported. One fall occurred at an airport on July 14. The other happened during a trip to Finland in February. He also tripped and fell at his home in Louisville in 2019, suffering a shoulder fracture.
McConnell is a polio survivor who walks with a limp. He is often assisted with walking up and down stairs.
Some observers consider Thune a likely successor to McConnell if the Senate minority leader eventually decides to retire. When McConnell was away from the Senate earlier in 2023, Thune served as the de-facto leader of Senate Republicans, The New York Times reported.
McConnell is not the only senator facing health issues. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) is 91 and suffers from memory loss. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) had a stroke during his 2022 campaign and uses a closed-caption device to help him communicate.
“I have never commented about a senator’s health, whether it’s Sen. Feinstein or Sen. Fetterman, so I’m not going to do that with Sen. McConnell,” said Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO). “I voted for different leadership, and I stand by that. My preference would be for different leadership, but that doesn’t have anything to do with his health.”
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-UT) said, “He will continue to lead the party. I don’t anticipate any change.”
