There have been mounting concerns regarding Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s health and mental acuity, and a recent Newsweek poll shows that 64 percent of currently eligible voters think he should quit.
Voters for all major parties were surveyed in Redfield & Wilton Strategies’ poll. Seventy-one percent of Trump 2020 voters think McConnell should step down as Senate majority leader, while only six percent think he should stay put. Voters supporting Joe Biden were unanimous in their opinion that he should resign (64% to 9%).
McConnell froze for nearly 20 seconds during a press appearance in late July before being led away by staffers. Finally, it was disclosed that the Senator had been injured in three separate falls over the past few months, only one of which had been reported previously.
According to Senator McConnell, he will finish out his full six-year tenure until 2027. McConnell announced at the recent Fancy Farm picnic in Kentucky that he will not be skipping next year’s event. There were reports from the audience at Fancy Farm that McConnell’s wife, the former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, had to assist him in getting up from his chair.
Many, however, have begun to speak out about McConnell’s health, including members of the Senator’s own party. From the perspective of a senior political correspondent at Politico, who has covered McConnell for years, his fall is “jarring to see,” the reporter added.
Senators have privately told the media that they often feel like McConnell is “out of it” when they are in private meetings with him. One senator who asked not to be named indicated that McConnell is “not processing” during sessions. It has been speculated that behind-the-scenes efforts are being made to install new leadership in the Senate.
McConnell, the longest-serving Senate leader, is 81 years old, making him the same age as President Joe Biden, whose declining mental acuity and tendency for falls in recent years have also been noted by many.
