Politics

Mitch McConnell Was Hospitalized Again at 84

By Mike Harper · June 15, 2026

Mitch McConnell was taken to a hospital Sunday morning. His office said almost nothing about why.

“Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning. He is receiving excellent care,” spokesperson David Popp said in a statement. He did not provide a diagnosis, a hospital name, or a timeline for release. He did not respond to follow-up questions.

Two neighbors told Reuters they saw McConnell being loaded onto an ambulance stretcher outside his Washington DC home around 9 AM Sunday. The 84-year-old senator has been using a wheelchair in the Capitol in recent months.

This is McConnell’s second hospitalization in four months. In February, he was admitted for eight days with what his office described as “flu-like symptoms.” Before that, the most visible health crisis was in 2023, when he suffered a concussion and broken ribs after falling at a Washington hotel — and then froze for nearly a minute while speaking to reporters on two separate occasions that summer, episodes that were broadcast nationally and raised widespread questions about his fitness to serve.

In October 2025, he fell again in a Capitol hallway while being questioned by reporters. He has continued to serve and has maintained a sharp presence at committee hearings even as his physical mobility has declined.

McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1984. He served as Republican leader for 18 years — the longest tenure in the position in history — before stepping aside in January 2025. He is serving out the remainder of his seventh term, which expires in January 2027. He has said he does not plan to seek an eighth.

His office has provided no update beyond the initial statement.