As questions about McConnell’s health grow, Charles Booker calls for answers
The Democrat vying to replace Mitch McConnell in the U.S. Senate says Kentuckians deserve to know “if our senator is alert, conscious, or capable of serving” more than two weeks after the 84-year-old was hospitalized for an unspecified reason.
Charles Booker, the Democrat facing off against Republican nominee U.S. Rep. Andy Barr, released a lengthy statement Thursday afternoon calling for transparency about McConnell’s health.
Booker said that while he was sensitive to the personal nature of medical emergencies, “our entire commonwealth and country are vested” in McConnell’s condition.
“It’s time we know what’s happening. When we don’t know if our senator is alert, conscious, or capable of serving, that’s not a partisan question. It’s a Kentucky one,” Booker said. “What is clear is that we have known for some time that Mitch McConnell has lacked the capacity to represent us in the Senate. That fact, along with the developing news now, is deeply concerning.
“Continuing to ignore this is not leadership. It’s elder abuse. And it’s time for him to relinquish the business of Kentucky back to the people.”
McConnell was hospitalized June 14, but his team did not give details about his condition at the time, only saying he was receiving “excellent care.”
On June 22, spokesperson Stephanie Penn said he would not vote in the Senate that week but is working “closely” with staff as his health continues to recover.
Dispatch audio obtained by national media outlets this week revealed first responders performed CPR on someone experiencing “cardiac arrest” at a known address for McConnell the same day his hospitalization was announced, according to NBC news.
Booker said accounts of McConnell’s health are seemingly contradictory. The senator’s team said he was fully engaged on Senate business, Booker noted.
“We are now learning that the emergency responders who were called to his home that same morning responded to cardiac arrest, and that CPR was administered. Those two accounts are hard to square.”
McConnell’s spokesperson referred the Herald-Leader back to the June 22 statement when asked for comment on Booker’s remarks and an update on his condition.
Barr, the Republican nominee in the U.S. Senate race, said in a statement that “Kentucky is praying for a speedy recovery for Sen. McConnell.”
“We are grateful for his service to the Commonwealth,” Barr said. “I look forward to continuing to work alongside Sen. McConnell and President Trump to deliver for Kentucky.”
Previously, Barr told reporters at the Republican Party of Kentucky’s Lincoln Dinner June 20 that he’d exchanged text messages with McConnell and said he was released from the hospital.
McConnell’s office has not confirmed if he’s still hospitalized.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said June 15 he had spoken with McConnell after his hospitalization and deferred to McConnell’s staff when asked when he will be back, according to reporting from ABC News.
“He sounded good. He wants to be back,” Thune said.
Gov. Andy Beshear says he’s gotten “no information” from McConnell’s office
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear also touched on McConnell’s hospitalization during his weekly press conference Thursday afternoon.
Beshear said he’s received no information or updates on McConnell’s health, and said McConnell’s team “needs to communicate more directly.”
Beshear added he didn’t want to speculate on McConnell’s health, saying, “the only things I know I’ve read, and I can’t verify.”
This developing story was updated with additional information.
This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 3:26 PM.
