Senator Mitch McConnell, the 83-year-old former Senate Majority Leader, is in the hospital after experiencing what his office is calling “flu-like symptoms.”
The Kentucky Republican checked himself in Monday evening “in an abundance of caution,” according to a statement from his office. His spokesman David Popp says McConnell’s “prognosis is positive” and he’s “grateful for the excellent care he is receiving.”
THE DETAILS: McConnell missed crucial Senate votes on Monday and Tuesday while hospitalized. His office says he’s “in regular contact with his staff and looks forward to returning to Senate business.”
This is far from McConnell’s first health scare. The octogenarian—who’s been in the Senate for over 41 years—has had a rough stretch:
In October 2025, he fell to the ground in the Capitol. In February and March 2025, he wore a medical boot and used a wheelchair after falling down stairs in the Capitol and then falling again later the same day. In 2023, he was hospitalized with a concussion after falling at a D.C. hotel. That same year, he infamously froze mid-sentence twice while speaking to reporters—once in the Capitol and once in Kentucky.
Mitch McConnell appeared to freeze again while speaking to media in Kentucky https://t.co/hhW4u9AJYNpic.twitter.com/3tgfei3gIh
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) August 30, 2023
His aides attributed the freezing episodes to “lightheadedness.”
OF COURSE: McConnell contracted polio at age two, leaving part of his left leg paralyzed. After his falls last year, his spokesman insisted “the lingering effects of polio in his left leg will not disrupt his regular schedule of work.”
McConnell also faced questions about his health in October 2020 when severe bruising appeared on his right hand. When asked if there were any health issues people should know about, he replied, “Of course not.”
ZOOM OUT: McConnell stepped down as Senate Republican leader last year and plans to retire from Congress when his current term ends in January 2027. He’s the Senate’s third-oldest member—only Bernie Sanders (84) and Chuck Grassley (92) are older.
The fact that some of the most powerful people in American government are octogenarians dealing with repeated falls, freezing episodes, and hospitalizations isn’t exactly reassuring. McConnell spent decades shaping the federal judiciary, blocking Democratic priorities, and consolidating Republican power. Now he’s struggling to make it to Senate votes.