U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) speaks to reporters outside the Senate Chamber after he returned to Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., September 14, 2026. REUTERS/Evan Vucci
Former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who still serves as one of the two Republican senators from Kentucky, has long aroused controversy because of his ailing health. From freezing during a press conference and mysteriously disappearing for several months after a hospitalization and seemingly needing aides to tell him how to vote, McConnell is constantly singled out as an example of senators who stay in office long after they are no longer fit to serve.
His Republican colleagues, when confronted about this, make it clear they do not want to answer any questions.
"Republicans are literally running away from questions about Mitch McConnell," reported The New Republic's Ellie Quinlan Houghtaling on Thursday. "Kentucky Senator Rand Paul refused to acknowledge RawStory’s Adam Nichols when the digital site’s editor in chief asked about McConnell’s ability to remain in office, rushing into an elevator while he avoided eye contact."
Houghtaling continued, "Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker ran the same playbook, simply muttering, 'Oh man,' while he walked away from Nichols. As the elevator doors closed, Wicker relented and said that McConnell is a 'great guy.' Nebraska Senator Deb Fischer responded—sort of. She glared at Nichols when he inquired about McConnell’s ability to serve out the rest of his term. 'I think he is, yes,' Fischer said."
The journalist concluded that Nichols asked “He hasn’t been speaking at all in the media, hasn’t done a 10- or 15-second video...", prompting Fischer to respond continued Nichols, “Does he need to? I don’t think he needs to. You know he was here for a Farm Bill vote, and he voted. People are saying he didn’t respond—no, he voted. And he was very quiet to begin with.”
In September, psychologist Dr. John Garrison argued based on footage of McConnell’s first vote after returning to the Senate that he seems to have “absolutely no idea what is going on.”
“He is unmoving,” Garrison argued. “Just has a thumbs up and they are moving him along fast. This is a lot of what we're seeing from Mitch McConnell: frozen positions, his facial expression unchanging, no responsiveness to the environment around him. I think comprehension-wise, he is not comprehending what is being spoken to him. He does not understand what he is doing.”
In July licensed speech-language pathologist and political content creator Hilary Shae, who specializes in concussion recovery, opined that McConnell is "unfit to serve."
"Even if he is alive, he is unfit to serve, and he should not be finishing out his term through January," Shae said. "Mitch McConnell is 84 years old, and his health history is not good. He has a history of multiple falls — one of which was significant for concussion — and what appeared to be TIAs, or transient ischemic attacks, and it does not appear that he really came back to his full self. He did not return to his baseline after his concussion."