Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to freeze briefly at an event in Kentucky on Wednesday, unable to answer questions from reporters, weeks after he had similar plot in Washington.
McConnell, 81, was asked if he would run for re-election in 2026, according to video from a local news station. The senator asked the reporter to repeat the question, then faded away and looked straight ahead for about 10 seconds.
A woman standing at the front of the room with McConnell asked if he heard the question, and she repeated it. When McConnell didn’t answer, she announced “we need a minute” to the room. McConnell finally answered two other questions, although not about the 2026 campaign, but McConnell paused and seemed to have difficulty speaking. The woman then ended the news conference and McConnell slowly left the room.
McConnell’s reaction was similar to the reaction he had when he froze for about 20 seconds during a news conference at the Capitol in late July. He returned to the office with his assistant and returned to answer more questions.
The latest incident Wednesday in Covington, Kentucky, adds to the doubts that have been in recent months McConnell’s health Whether the Kentucky Republican, who was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and has been the Republican leader since 2007, will remain in the leadership role.
His office later said McConnell felt “temporarily dizzy” and would see a doctor before his next event. Likewise, after the July incident, aides said McConnell felt dizzy and hours later McConnell told reporters he was “fine.” Neither McConnell nor his aides provided any further details about what happened.
March, McConnell suffered a concussion and broken ribs Falling and hitting my head after attending a dinner party at the hotel.he did not return to the senate nearly six weeks. He has been using a wheelchair while traveling to and from Kentucky at the airport. Since then, he seems to be walking slower and speaking in a stuttering manner.
McConnell, who suffered from polio as a child, acknowledged early on that he had trouble climbing stairs as an adult. In addition to the fall in March, he also tripped at his home in Kentucky four years ago, breaking his shoulder and requiring surgery.
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