Mitch McConnell’s freezes, falls and health scares fueled retirement rumors. See timeline
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Mitch McConnell won’t run again in 2026
Longtime Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell will not seek reelection next year, he announced Thursday, ending a decades-long run as one of the most powerful Republicans in the country. McConnell, first elected in 1984, is the longest-serving Senate party leader in U.S. history.
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Mitch McConnell, Kentucky’s longest serving senator, announced plans to retire and not seek reelection for an eighth term in office in a speech on the Senate floor Thursday.
McConnell, 83, confirmed he will serve out the remainder of his term through January 2027.
The announcement follows a spate of falls and other health scares stretching back to March of 2023. The incidents have fueled speculation about McConnell’s plans for some time, and hopefuls for the Senate seat have already emerged.
Here’s a look back at some of the influential Republican senator’s high-profile appearances and health problems.
Mitch McConnell: Freezes, falls and health scares
March 8, 2023: Fall sends McConnell to the hospital with a concussion
At a dinner event in Washington, McConnell tripped and was later admitted into a hospital for treatment.
However, the public did not learn the then-Senate minority leader had suffered a concussion until about 13 hours after his office said he’d reported to the hospital, McClatchy previously reported. At the time, McConnell was expected to remain in the hospital for a few days.
During a previous fall in 2019, McConnell fractured his shoulder at his home in Kentucky and recovered from the injury.
March 13, 2023: McConnell is discharged from hospital stay, heads to therapy
McConnell was discharged from a Washington, D.C., hospital March 13, 2023, and underwent physical therapy at an inpatient rehab facility before returning home, a statement from a spokesperson said at the time.
While remaining in the hospital over the course of the previous weekend, McConnell’s medical team discovered he had also fractured a rib.
April 13, 2023: McConnell announces he’ll return to the Senate
After spending more than five weeks recovering from his fall, McConnell announced his return to the Senate the following week.
“I am looking forward to returning to the Senate on Monday,” McConnell posted on X, then Twitter. “We’ve got important business to tackle and big fights to win for Kentuckians and the American people.”
May 23, 2023: Staffers assist McConnell at University of Kentucky event
During a groundbreaking event at the University of Kentucky in late May, McConnell briefly spoke to reporters. Members of his staff asked reporters to speak up when asking questions.
The outdoor event took place with several hundred attendees as the senator fielded questions. Staffers had to repeat some questions for McConnell.
July 26, 2023: McConnell freezes for more than 20 seconds at Washington press conference
While giving a statement at a Washington, D.C., press conference held in the U.S. Senate building, McConnell froze for more than 20 seconds and appeared unable to speak before colleagues escorted him away from the podium. McConnell later returned and said “I’m fine.”
Aug. 30, 2023: Another public freeze
In a second freeze, this time at a press conference in Northern Kentucky, McConnell fell silent for more than 30 seconds after a reporter asked a question.
In Covington, McConnell was asked about running for reelection in 2026. He asked the reporter to repeat the question, and after a moment’s pause, aide Robbin Taylor repeated the question to the senator. McConnell was led away, then the press conference resumed after a pause, with a staff repeating questions to McConnell.
Asked about the incident at the time, a spokesperson for the senator said McConnell “felt momentarily lightheaded and paused during his press conference today.”
Dec. 10, 2024: Luncheon fall
After a fall that followed a Senate GOP lunch in Washington, D.C., McConnell required medical attention for injuries, including a sprained wrist and a small cut on his face. Medical professionals were seen entering the senator’s office after the event, and he was later “cleared to resume his schedule” a spokesperson wrote at the time.
Feb. 5, 2025: McConnell falls down stairs
McConnell fell down a set of stairs in Washington, D.C. A staffer later attributed it to “lingering effects of polio in his left leg.”
The fall reportedly occurred after McConnell voted to confirm Scott Turner as secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
A reporter with the Washington outlet Punchbowl News witnessed the fall, writing on X: “Sen McConnell just fell down the stairs on his way out of the chamber… He got up with the help from some senators and seemed to walk it off as he left.”
A spokesperson for McConnell’s office confirmed the fall in a press statement asserting the 82-year-old senator was “fine.”
Lexington Herald-Leader reporters Austin Horn, David Catanese, Tessa Duvall and Monica Kast contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 1:09 PM with the headline "Mitch McConnell’s freezes, falls and health scares fueled retirement rumors. See timeline."
