After all this drama, a MAGA Republican, Andy Barr* is heavily favored to win election in November to replace McConnell.*
There won’t even be temporary relief if McConnell dies before the election, as a replacement named by the Democratic Governor would by law have to come from a list of three Republican bozos selected by the G.O.P.
*my current Congressman, unfortunately.
I was going to say he’s probably brain-dead, but how could anyone tell?
Quoting the Snopes article in @Moriarty 's post:
Are Andrew McCarthy and Jonathan Silverman on McConnell’s staff?
Could be that there was a defibrillator at his residence and they got his heart restarted even before the paramedics arrived. Could also be that he’s in a coma and his wife doesn’t want to pull the plug just yet. Could even be that they don’t want to pull the plug because Kentucky Republicans can’t agree that Andy Barr should be appointed to take McConnell’s place because that would mean the GOP loses another House seat until the election in November.
How long can the governor drag his feet on making an appointment?
AIUI, that method was replaced by a new law, passed in 2024, which mandates a special election for a vacant Senate seat from Kentucky.
This article was from when the law was passed, but before Beshear vetoed it, only to have the veto overridden.
Ballotpedia also lists Kentucky among the states which require a special election.
https://ballotpedia.org/Filling_vacancies_in_the_U.S._Senate
You’re correct, a special election would be held.
It’s not clear to me if nominees for the general election in November would be on the special election ballot.
Whatever the case, it’s still highly likely a Republican would end up filling out McConnell’s term.
Mine, too.
Waves from Oldham County.
Do your politicians like office so much that they stick in there until they are dead?
If “your” = US politicians, then oh my, yes. Power, privilege and an easy path to wealth — if they weren’t already rich— is a powerful incentive for some.
I had an employer once who refused to ever consider retirement because, I’m convinced, that he couldn’t bear the thought of not being “John Doe, owner of Doe Industries” and I’m pretty sure that Chuck Grassley and Diane Feinstein before him were much the same way.
In that picture, he looks pretty good-- a helluva lot better than Fearless Leader.
Good one!
Notably, J. Strom Thurmond served in the Senate for 48 years before leaving at age 100. He died six months later.
You just know that Trump is itching to fire off a deranged late night post on Truth Social, gloating over McConnell’s demise.*
With plenty of Capitalized Adjectives.
*Saw a (non-Trump) social media post today blaming the current heat wave on the gates of hell opening to receive Mitch McConnell. 
Grassley has been in state and above politics for 67 freaking years. 16 years as Iowa State rep, 6 years as US rep, and now 45 years as US senator.
If Chuck runs for re-election in 2028, he might set the new record I assume that is the only thing he is aiming for now since he is basically Weekend at Bernie’s.
Many professions have a mandatory retirement age of 65 because the physical and – most importantly – the cognitive skills are in decline. But for running the country, eh, 100 or more is just a fine age for producing enlightened legislation reflecting contemporary values!
Of course, we all know that “Senate” and “senile” both derive from the same root word.
Many professions do have a mandatory retirement age, but not all at 65. It varies quite a bit. Air traffic controllers, federal agents, firefighters, and others with physically stressful jobs might have to retire in their 50s. Military personnel often must retire not long after 60. Some jurisdictions also have mandatory retirement for judges, but that can be into their 70s, and most don’t have any.
It runs the range, with mandatory retirement from the 50s-70s, and many positions have no mandatory retirement at all. I know there’s nothing like that where I work. I’ve had coworkers into their late 70s.
I have thought for a while that we should have a retirement age for elected positions (POTUS, Congress) and SCOTUS, but I don’t think that will happen ever. So, we will have situations like McConnell serving the Senate pretty much from his death bed (potentially) or folks like the current POTUS running the country while showing clear signs of dementia (and unable to be removed for political reasons).
And then you have folks like academics, who might officially retire at 65… and then keep on doing the same work for the next 30 years. There was one professor at my grad school who retired the year I entered, and remained the most prolific member of the department for the next 12 years (nor did he stop then: He just got passed up by a young up-and-comer).
McConnell update. He’s still alive.
Fuck. Not what I wanted to hear.