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Former Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hospitalized

Sen. Mitch McConnell has been using a wheelchair in the U.S. Capitol in recent months.
Heather Diehl
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Getty Images North America
Sen. Mitch McConnell has been using a wheelchair in the U.S. Capitol in recent months.

Former Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell was admitted to a hospital on Sunday.

The 84-year old Kentucky senator's condition is currently unknown but he has suffered regular health challenges in recent years.

McConnell spokesman David Popp said McConnell "is receiving excellent care" in an e-mailed statement but did not specify the reason for the hospitalization.

McConnell regularly moves about the Capitol in a wheelchair, often with the assistance of staff.

In 2023, McConnell froze and appeared unable to speak for nearly 30 seconds during his weekly press conference as leader.

He also suffered a series of falls, including one that resulted in a concussion and nearly six-week absence from the Senate. McConnell has always appeared to have a somewhat unsteady gate — a childhood bout of polio left him with a partially paralyzed leg.

He announced in 2024 he'd step down from leadership. And in 2025 that he would not seek another six-year term in office.

After more than four decades, McConnell's time in the Senate is set to conclude at the end of this year.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Eric McDaniel
Eric McDaniel edits the NPR Politics Podcast. He joined the program ahead of its 2019 relaunch as a daily podcast.