USFEB 4, 2026
Term Limit Debate Renewed After Sen. Mitch McConnell, 83, Is Hospitalized
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“In an abundance of caution, after experiencing flu-like symptoms over the weekend, Senator McConnell checked himself into a local hospital for evaluation last night [February 2],” spokesman David Popp said in a statement.
Mitch McConnell, 83, has been the longest-serving U.S. senator from Kentucky, holding the seat since 1985.
“His prognosis is positive and he is grateful for the excellent care he is receiving,” Popp added. “He is in regular contact with his staff and looks forward to returning to Senate business.”
Highlights
- Senator Mitch McConnell, 83, has been hospitalized after flu-like symptoms, but his prognosis is positive with ongoing care.
- McConnell, the longest-serving Kentucky senator since 1985, announced retirement planned for January 2027.
- Polio survivor McConnell has faced multiple health scares, including falls, a sprained wrist, and a concussion.
- A 2023 Pew poll shows strong bipartisan support for maximum age limits for elected officials in Washington, D.C.
Senator Mitch McConnell, 83, checked himself into a local hospital
Image credits: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
This is not the first health scare for the Senate’s third-oldest member. In October last year, he suddenly fell in the Capitol as an activist approached him to ask a question. He wore a medical boot and used a wheelchair after the fall.
“Senator McConnell is fine,” Popp said at the time. “The lingering effects of polio in his left leg will not disrupt his regular schedule of work.”
According to the BBC, McConnell had polio at the age of two, which left a portion of his left leg paralyzed.
McConnell also suffered a sprained wrist in 2024 and a concussion in 2023.
In 2023, he was photographed freezing during multiple press conferences.
McConnell was first elected to the Senate over 41 years ago, and last year, he stepped down as Senate Republican leader. He has already announced his plans to retire from Congress in January 2027, when his current term concludes.
The U.S. Congress has no maximum age limit, but many polls suggest Americans would prefer one. A 2023 Pew Research Survey found that the majority of people across the political divide favored maximum age limits for elected officials.
Some 82% of Republicans and 76% of Democrats supported a maximum age limit for elected officials in Washington, D.C.
The U.S. Constitution stipulates a minimum age but no maximum age threshold, thereby requiring a constitutional amendment to include the latter.
Senator Bernie Sanders, 84, and Chuck Grassley, 92, are the only senators older than McConnell.
McConnell, the third-oldest member in the Senate, has suffered several health scares in the past few years
According to NBC News, 24 members of Congress are 80 or older, with 13 of them running for reelection this year.
Fourteen sitting members of Congress died between 2020 and 2025. After increased concerns about his health, McConnell announced his retirement.
“Thanks to Ronald Reagan’s determination, the work of strengthening American hard power was well underway when I arrived in the Senate,” McConnell said last year, announcing his retirement on the Senate floor.
“But since then, we’ve allowed that power to atrophy. And today, a dangerous world threatens to outpace the work of rebuilding it. So, lest any of our colleagues still doubt my intentions for the remainder of my term: I have some unfinished business to attend to.”
Image credits: Tom Williams/Getty Images
McConnell missed Senate votes on Monday and Tuesday, Politico reported. It is unclear when he will be back.
McConnell, a Republican, supported much of U.S. President Donald Trump’s agenda during his first administration, but has become more critical of the president since last year.
He had condemned Trump’s provocation before the Capitol attacks on January 6, 2021, but refrained from voting to convict Trump on impeachment charges after the riot.
During Trump’s second term, McConnell voted against some of Trump’s cabinet appointees, opposing Pete Hegseth for the defense secretary post, Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for health secretary.
McConnell also opposed the administration’s attacks on vaccines.
