# Mitch McConnell falls twice in Capitol **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 6, 2025, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937 "2025-02-06T00:54:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/221 "2026-07-09T21:35:57Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > Some speculate that Beshear may want to test the constitutionality of the Kentucky legislature’s attempt to remove from a Governor the right to appoint a replacement for McConnell. So the letter would be the prelude to his simply making that appointment—then it would go to the courts. [https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF11907](https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF11907) > Five states currently require Senate vacancies to be filled _only_ by special elections; their governors are not empowered to fill a vacancy by appointment. They are Kentucky, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin. Typically, these states provide for an expedited election process in order to reduce the period during which the seat is vacant. If the vacancy falls late in the term, the seat is filled at the regularly scheduled general election. This appears to say the Governor of kentucky cant appoint a replacement Senator. > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > FWIW, if it isn’t sooner, there will still be a special election in November (on the same ballot as the general) to determine who serves until the end of McConnell’s term. This appears to be the case. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/222 "2026-07-09T21:39:30Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > This appears to say the Governor of kentucky cant appoint a replacement Senator. It would depend upon whether the method the Kentucky legislature used to change what had been Kentucky policy for decades (that the Governor DID have the right to make the appointment), is considered legitimate by the courts. What I’ve seen is that Beshear likely finds this worth testing–not that it’s a foregone conclusion that he’ll get the decision he wants. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/223 "2026-07-09T21:43:07Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > It would depend upon whether the method the Kentucky legislature used to change what had been Kentucky policy for decades Does this help at all? > **[What Kentucky law says about filling a US Senate vacancy](https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/politics/2026/07/08/kentucky-law-senate-vacancy-mitch-mcconnell/90562297007/)** > > Sen. Mitch McConnell's hospitalization has sparked renewed questions about the process for filling a vacant seat in Kentucky. Here's how it works. ## **\> How do special elections for U.S. Senate work in Kentucky?** > The process for filling U.S. Senate vacancies is similar to the process for filling other federal and state elected \> offices, although that wasn’t always the case. > > [Under Kentucky law](https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=54597), a U.S. Senate vacancy must be filled by a special election, which must be called for by the governor. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/224 "2026-07-09T21:45:22Z")
Thanks for the Courier-Journal cite. Here’s an account that emphasizes the changes made in 2024 and the fact that legal scholars see issues: > [@](#): > > … The most significant legal development came in 2024, when Kentucky lawmakers passed House Bill 622. > > House Bill 622 repealed KRS 63.200 and replaced Kentucky’s Senate vacancy process with a special election system. Under the revised law, the governor must issue a proclamation calling an election, with the winner serving the remainder of the unexpired term. The legislation also established administrative deadlines for notices and candidate filings tied to that election. > > The law eliminated the governor’s authority to appoint an interim senator, meaning Kentucky no longer follows the succession model used in most states. > > “But there’s a wrinkle,” Josh Douglass, associate dean for research at the University of Kentucky Rosenberg College of Law, told Newsweek, suggesting that there were legal questions about the law that remain unresolved. > > “The Kentucky Constitution, in Section 152, says the Governor appoints when there is a vacancy in a statewide office. Yet the 17th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution says essentially that there should be an election but that the legislature can give the Governor the ability to make a temporary appointment. > > “So the question is whether the Kentucky constitution conflicts with the 17th Amendment, such that the newer law saying there must be a special election is valid.” > > Douglass added that the issue has not yet been tested in court and would likely need to be resolved by the judiciary. > > While the law clearly requires a special election process, it leaves several practical questions unanswered. > > Under the current statute, a Senate vacancy is filled through an election, and the law lays out filing and notice requirements for that process. It does not, however, explicitly spell out how a vacancy occurring late in an election year would interact with a Senate race that is already on the ballot. > > That omission has become relevant because McConnell’s seat is already being contested in the 2026 election. Kentucky voters are set to elect someone to a new six-year term in November regardless of whether McConnell completes his current term. > > The law therefore appears to eliminate gubernatorial appointments, but questions remain about both its constitutionality and how it would operate if a vacancy occurred late in an election year. > … > **[Mitch McConnell Health Questions Raise Kentucky Senate Succession Issues](https://www.newsweek.com/mitch-mcconnell-health-questions-raise-kentucky-senate-succession-issues-12159137)** > > Kentucky changed its Senate succession law, but the law leaves unanswered questions that could become important if McConnell cannot finish his term. No doubt there are more scholarly citations available, but this one isn’t paywalled. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/225 "2026-07-09T21:49:14Z")
If I understand correctly, the 2024 law may be unconstitutional under the Kentucky constitution. The argument being, taking that power from the governor should have required an amendment; not a mere law. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/226 "2026-07-09T21:51:15Z")
So, is it safe to assume that the point of this is to test whether or not the law will pass a test, but not an _actual_ attempt to appoint a successor? I don’t have confidence that they’ll settle the dispute before November. Government rarely moves this fast. (I say this as someone who works for state government, though a different state.) ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/227 "2026-07-09T21:53:57Z")
> [@Atamasama](#): > > I don’t have confidence that they’ll settle the dispute before November. Fair point. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/228 "2026-07-09T22:42:40Z")
When I read statements like this, it sure sounds to me like a person talking to a comatose patient..you tell them about what you’ve been doing, maybe get a little wistful about old times, and end with a myopic wish that they could just get up and get back to the way things were. > [@](#): > > Scott Jennings… posted online that he had a nearly 20-minute conversation with McConnell on Tuesday morning on several matters. > > “I spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this morning, the senior Senator from Kentucky. He’s still recovering in the hospital. We talked for just shy of 20 minutes … about IRAN, UKRAINE, the unfolding situation in MAINE, my visit to the TR Presidential Library, and even a little bit of Senate history. I told him we want to see him back at work as soon as possible,” Jennings posted on X. “spoke to”. Not with; and not “he told me”. > **[Senate Republican leaders say they've spoken to Mitch McConnell as he remains...](https://abcnews.com/amp/Politics/senate-republican-leaders-spoken-mitch-mcconnell-remains-hospitalized/story?id=134561292)** > > Sen. Mitch McConnell has had phone conversations with several Republican leaders as he remains hospitalized, spokespeople for the lawmakers told ABC News on Tuesday. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/229 "2026-07-09T22:46:28Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > When I read statements like this, it sure sounds to me like a person talking to a comatose patient..you tell them about what you’ve been doing, maybe get a little wistful about old times, and end with a myopic wish that they could just get up and get back to the way things were. In Christmas of 2020, my best friend had a stroke. He was in a coma for months, and when he woke up, he was non-communicative for a long time. He eventually recovered almost all of the way, but there was a time period where I would call him over Zoom and talk with him and just talked to him. He didn’t really respond, but he sort of seemed aware of me talking to him at least. Regardless, I wanted to be there for him as best as I could (considering I couldn’t physically be there) and I had no idea how much he was aware of me or what he could remember. (Today, he says he doesn’t remember any of those interactions.) Anyway, bottom line is, yes that does remind me of that, quite a bit. I didn’t talk _with_ him, but talked _to_ him quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/230 "2026-07-09T22:47:15Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > Scott Jennings… posted online that he had a nearly 20-minute conversation with McConnell on Tuesday morning on several matters. Jennings cold called him. mmm ---
**Author:** ![bobot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bobot/32/21622_2.png) [@bobot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobot)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/231 "2026-07-09T22:48:12Z")
Per the Jennings quote above, what the heck is it with Republicans and the uncalled for capitalization of entire words? ---
**Author:** ![SunUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ea5d25/32.png) [@SunUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SunUp)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2026, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/232 "2026-07-09T23:56:51Z")
Trump does it. Is any other justification needed? It’s a personality cult, after all. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/233 "2026-07-10T00:45:32Z")
> [@Sherrerd](#): > > No doubt there are more scholarly citations available, but this one isn’t paywalled. Thanks for the clarification. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/234 "2026-07-10T01:23:04Z")
Possibly interesting… [![](https://i.ibb.co/sdWpM7YG/FB-IMG-1783646461640.jpg) ](https://i.ibb.co/sdWpM7YG/FB-IMG-1783646461640.jpg) > **[Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1408751964621103&id=100064589385991&rdid=jgYBx6nfuIkDCDO9&share_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fshare%2Fp%2F1Lrwz9Kcu3%2F)** ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/235 "2026-07-10T02:17:31Z")
I’ll consider it interesting when it’s on something other than social media sites. ---
**Author:** ![Palooka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/palooka/32/2902_2.png) [@Palooka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palooka)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/236 "2026-07-10T14:32:14Z")
It’s probably this [Secret Service Hazardous Material truck](https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&hs=GVEq&sca_esv=8510dcdf58907770&sxsrf=APpeQnukDH70jjcqDJD5vMcNrvTsvTjeMQ:1783693786903&udm=2&fbs=ABfTbFVyMZGZf1hfvX9uKjN_-G8cY2oODYyTyZk24Xz37_7FQ0Kuh3jfnRqiKzI7KrGsO-bHLKGXxP60AsAIKmX_LR6dZEtmz8nkHFyRkWPDX_5Leuo25cqZx8CT7pTgVY3W6DInpRGo43vaWmk918j783R_RJE5geRGdSnXGMa_W8-ZCrIcslwC02oQ0r2SQSl0eEqkoCKW3KhFe8sECL4B31SQpM7NZg&q=United+States+Secret+Service+Hazardous+Agent+Mitigation+%26+Medical+Emergency+Response+(HAMMER)+truck&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjPp7mUqciVAxWXEDQIHf3UOgwQtKgLegQIGBAB&biw=1563&bih=989&dpr=1). ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/237 "2026-07-10T19:59:00Z")
> [@Moriarty](#): > > “spoke to”. Not with; and not “he told me”. Yeah, definitely being cute, there. Plausible deniability when it’s disclosed that McConnell was declared brain-dead days before the “conversation.” Today video was released of the day (June 14) McConnell was taken from his residence. Witnesses noted there was NO oxygen mask on him, and the ambulance did NOT use a siren when leaving. Suggestive of ‘no hurry, this is a done deal.’ But no doubt Scott Jennings would come up with some other explanation. > **[New video shows Sen. Mitch McConnell loaded into ambulance as his condition...](https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/07/10/new-video-shows-sen-mitch-mcconnell-loaded-into-ambulance-his-condition-remains-mystery/)** > > Sen. Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for three weeks, and his office has not provided specific details. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/238 "2026-07-10T20:03:34Z")
In that video, is he seen to be moving? ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/239 "2026-07-10T20:06:30Z")
Well he is covered by a blanket while EMT’s load him into an ambulance, his feet are bare and not covered but the rest of him is. They are also in zero hurry and do not turn on the siren when leaving. I cannot imagine he was alive even then. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2026, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937/240 "2026-07-10T20:35:14Z")
> [@DigitalC](#): > > They are also in zero hurry and do not turn on the siren when leaving. I cannot imagine he was alive even then. They had to know they were being filmed. They couldn’t have been so leisurely if they were dealing with someone whose life needed saving----they’d have been legally liable for negligence, surely. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mitch-mcconnell-falls-twice-in-capitol/1013937.md?page=13)