Updated Mar 9, 2023 - Politics & Policy

Mitch McConnell hospitalized after fall

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been hospitalized after he fell at a Washington, D.C., hotel on Wednesday, his spokesperson said.

Details: "This evening, Leader McConnell tripped at a local hotel during a private dinner," the Republican leader's spokesperson said. "He has been admitted to the hospital where he is receiving treatment."

  • Further information was not immediately available about the 81-year-old Kentucky Republican's condition following the incident, first reported by Punchbowl News.

Of note: McConnell was hospitalized in 2019 after a fall at his Louisville, Kentucky, home that led to surgery for a fractured shoulder.

The big picture: McConnell is the longest-serving Senate leader in U.S. history.

  • He's now serving his seventh term after first being elected to the Senate in 1984 and was the chamber's majority leader from 2015 to 2021.
  • McConnell has remained in charge of the Senate GOP at a time of intense turmoil in the party, with powerful populist currents threatening its traditional power structures.

Editor's note: This article has been updated with additional details throughout.

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