Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the former Senate majority leader, was hospitalized on Sunday, according to his spokesperson.
“Senator McConnell was admitted to the hospital this morning,” spokesperson David Popp said in a statement. “He is receiving excellent care.”
Popp did not release further information about McConnell’s condition or why he was hospitalized.
McConnell, 84, who announced last year that he would not seek re-election, has suffered several health incidents in recent years.
Earlier this year, he was hospitalized for over a week after experiencing “flu-like symptoms.” Three years ago, McConnell tripped at a Washington dinner event and was later hospitalized with a concussion. And in 2019, the senator fractured his shoulder after falling at home.
The longtime GOP leader has also faced concerns and questions about his mental fitness for office after he several times froze on camera in the middle of speaking and didn’t immediately respond to questions. He has also been spotted this term using a wheelchair to get around the Capitol complex after sustaining a fall there.
The Kentucky senator was first elected to his post in 1984 and was first elected Republican leader in the Senate in 2007. He held the post until early 2025.
Several elected officials in Washington in recent years have faced questions about their mental and physical fitness for office as they’ve aged.
Former President Joe Biden stepped down from his reelection bid in 2024 after concerns about his mental fitness surged following a infamous debate against then-former President Donald Trump.
And on Capitol Hill, the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., faced questions about her mental and physical abilities for several months before she died in 2023 at the age of 90.
