Beshear requests McConnell health update

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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) sent a letter to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)’s office on Wednesday, asking for a health update on the senator after he was admitted to the hospital on June 14.

“Over the last several weeks, Kentuckians have grown increasingly concerned about the health and well-being of Sen. McConnell,” the letter reads. “I am requesting the Senator provide an update on his current health status.”

An emergency dispatch revealed first responders went to McConnell’s home in Washington, D.C. where a person was found “unconscious” and had suffered “cardiac arrest.”

His office has released few details on his condition, but on Thursday said the 84-year-old senator “continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.”

“Allowing speculation to continue in the media is not fair to the Senator or to Kentuckians, and my hope is that this provides him the opportunity to share the information in a transparent manner, direct from the source,” Beshear wrote in his letter. “I wish him a safe and speedy recovery.”

The combination of details and the newly released 911 dispatch audio has fueled questions on Capitol Hill about whether the former GOP leader will return to Congress, and whether his office may be downplaying the severity of his condition.

McConnell, who has represented Kentucky in the Senate since 1985, has faced numerous public health scares in recent years, including several falls and freezing episodes.

A childhood polio survivor, the senator has previously pointed to its “lingering effects” as a reason for his falls. He was hospitalized in 2023 after he suffered a fractured rib and a concussion from a fall.

McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader in history, announced earlier this year that he would no longer seek reelection. Rep. Andy Barr (R-Ky.) won the Republican primary for McConnell’s open seat, making him McConnell’s likely successor to represent the deep red state in the Senate.

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