Speak or resign: Beshear ups demand for McConnell health status
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Finn Gomez/Getty Images
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) demanded in a blunt letter sent to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and his staff that McConnell verbally address constituents and demonstrate his ability to serve or resign his seat.
The big picture: It's been more than 40 days since 84-year-old conservative stalwart McConnell was hospitalized and appeared outside photos released by his office. His lengthy absence and past health scares are fueling speculation about his capacity to serve.
Driving the news: Beshear wrote that he was also sending the letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.), urging him to investigate McConnell's capacity to serve.
- "I understand anyone's desire for privacy, but when you run for office and serve as one of a state's two U.S. senators, you willingly abdicate much of your personal privacy," the letter read. "That's the deal, and we all know it when we run."
- Beshear concluded the letter: "All of this speculation and even this letter could have been avoided with a minimal amount of transparency," adding, "Kentuckians are just asking you to be honest."
- Thune's and McConnell's offices did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.
State of play: Under Kentucky law, Senate vacancies — which can occur due to resignation, expulsion or death — are filled by a special election.
- McConnell will retire after his term ends in January 2027.
Catch up quick: The letter, dated Monday, is the second that Beshear has sent to the senator's office requesting updates on his health.
- McConnell is still recovering from a fall at his home in June, according to a Monday statement from Congress' physician's office, which was released alongside a statement from the senator and a photo of him and his wife.
- The physician said McConnell has undergone "strenuous" physical therapy and rehabilitation, adding that the senator's childhood bout with polio is a "significant factor in his mobility."
Friction point: Rumors and conspiracy theories have snowballed in the wake of McConnell's absence from public view, fueled by influential MAGA voices.
- But McConnell said in the most recent statement issued by his office that he's "still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky."
Go deeper: Scoop: Democrat wants reckoning over McConnell, Kean absences
