Kentucky’s Democratic governor, Andy Beshear, wrote to Senator Mitch McConnell and demanded, “as governor of the state you serve, I am calling on you to directly and verbally address the people of Kentucky and provide proof of your capacity to serve, or resign.”
Is Beshear attempting to make political hay out of McConnell’s long hospitalization, and burnish his credentials for an expected 2028 presidential campaign? Almost certainly. But that doesn’t mean that Beshear doesn’t have a reasonable point in his inquiry to McConnell. The 84-year-old Kentucky senator suffered a fall in mid-June, was hospitalized for several weeks, and is still in a rehabilitation center.
The Congressional Office of the Attending Physician released a statement Monday:
Senator McConnell continues his recovery from a fall at home in June. OAP physicians visit with the Senator every day, discussing all aspects of his rehabilitation care. Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls. His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility. He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.
It is good that McConnell’s office has shared photos of the senator, but the fact that McConnell hasn’t released a video statement or made any public appearances indicates he’s not in a condition that would look good on camera. It’s not unheard of for a senator to be away from the chamber for a long stretch; Illinois Republican Senator Mark Kirk missed all 189 Senate votes in 2012 after suffering a stroke. But everyone would agree that a senator missing months of votes is suboptimal.
As our Dan McLaughlin explained:
If McConnell were to step down, Beshear would have to call a special election to fill out the rest of the term. Presumably, Representative Andy Barr (R.) and former Representative Charles Booker (D.), the candidates to replace McConnell, would be swiftly chosen to run in the special election. But here’s why a vacancy would be bad for Republicans: Beshear would have some leeway in deciding when to call an election and would have every incentive to delay it as long as possible in order to deny Republicans a vote in the Senate.
Except . . . Republicans don’t have McConnell’s vote in the Senate now. Then again, the Senate is set to leave for its recess on August 6 and return on September 14.
Hopefully, McConnell is on the mend, and we’ll see him, either in person or in a video statement, give an update on his recovery. If not . . . Kentuckians may well wonder whether they’re functioning with just one senator.