Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear is publicly asking Sen. Mitch McConnell to provide an update on his health amid a secretive weekslong hospitalization.
Beshear sent a letter to McConnell Wednesday, saying that Kentuckians had grown “increasingly concerned” since the former Senate Republican leader was hospitalized in mid-June about both his health and “ability to hold office.”
“As governor, I request that you fully update Kentuckians regarding the current status of your health,” Beshear wrote to McConnell. “As public officeholders, we have made a commitment to our constituents to do our best to represent them and to always be transparent. I believe this requires clear communication about one’s ability to serve.”
Spokespeople for McConnell did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Beshear’s letter, whether the senator had spoken with the governor or plans to speak with him.
Beshear said during a news conference last week that he had received “no updates” regarding McConnell’s health.
McConnell was first hospitalized on June 14. While his staff has provided multiple updates since, they have not disclosed why he was hospitalized or details on his condition. Online speculation that he could be in grave condition erupted online recently after news outlets reported on D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services radio traffic indicating a person at McConnell’s address was found unconscious and required cardiac resuscitation.
Three Republicans — Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Majority Whip John Barrasso and McConnell-adviser-turned-commentator Scott Jennings — said Tuesday they had spoken to McConnell this week.
Beshear, a Democrat who was elected in 2019, cited the online chatter in requesting transparency, arguing that “allowing speculation to continue in the media is not fair to the Senator or to Kentuckians.” He said his own office has been peppered with questions about McConnell’s health.
Notably, Kentucky Republicans have moved to sideline Beshear from the appointment process should there be a Senate vacancy. The state legislature changed the succession law in 2024, shortly after McConnell announced that he would retire at the end of his current term.
Where previously the governor could make an appointment to fill a Senate vacancy pending a special election, as in most states, the new law provides only for a special election. Republican legislators overrode a Beshear veto to enact the 2024 law, but there are ongoing questions about its legality that could be litigated if there is in fact a vacancy.
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