With Tom Kean back, Mitch McConnell's absence now DC's biggest mystery

Lucas Aulbach, Louisville Courier JournalWed, July 1, 2026 at 11:41 AM UTC

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While one member of U.S. Congress who had been missing due to a lengthy and unexplained absence returned this week, questions remain about the status of another from Kentucky.

U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell's representatives told media on June 14 that the 84-year-old senator had been hospitalized and was receiving "excellent care." Few details were included in that statement, and his office has had little to say since then — the next day, his representatives said he remained "fully engaged with staff on Senate business and Kentucky matters," and on June 22 a spokesperson told reporters McConnell is "still working closely with staff on Senate business and Kentucky matters as he continues his recovery" but would not be voting that week.

McConnell's office did not provide an update on his condition when contacted by The Courier Journal on June 30. Spokespeople have not said why he was hospitalized, whether he's been released and what kind of care he's currently receiving. The Senate is currently in recess and is not scheduled to reconvene until July 13.

While McConnell's status has now been in question for more than two weeks, another federal lawmaker's lengthy absence ended on June 30 as U.S. Rep. Thomas Kean Jr. returned to the Capitol.

Kean, a 57-year-old Republican who represents New Jersey's 7th Congressional District, had last been seen in public in March, missing more than 100 votes during his absence before his return this week. In a speech on the House floor, he said he had been diagnosed with depression and had hesitated to speak out because he is "a private person by nature." Kean did not answer additional questions, The New York Times reported.

McConnell's absence has not been nearly as lengthy. But it's had an impact on Senate business.

He's missed more than 20 votes in the chamber since June 14, from votes to confirm federal judges and U.S. ambassadors to pushes to rein in the U.S. military's operations in Iran, which McConnell has said he supports. The Senate has also faced calls from President Donald Trump and other aligned Republicans to pass the "SAVE America Act," a federal elections bill McConnell has said he opposes.

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McConnell, who's in his seventh term, is not running for reelection for the seat he's set to vacate at the end of the year. Current U.S. Rep. Andy Barr is the Republican nominee for the seat and will face Democratic nominee Charles Booker in November's general election.

Barr told reporters following the Republican Party of Kentucky's statewide Lincoln Day Dinner on June 20 that he'd exchanged a text message with McConnell, adding "we're glad he's been released from the hospital and is doing great." The senator's team has not said whether he's still hospitalized.

Booker, meanwhile, said in a social media video published June 27 that while he wouldn't "make a political statement about Mitch in this moment," it's clear the senator is "receiving excellent health care from remarkable health care professionals." Booker, a progressive Democrat who has frequently criticized McConnell over the years, is running on a platform that classifies health care as "a human right."

"In the face of cuts to health care across Kentucky and across the country ... what's abundantly clear is that everyone deserves the same high-quality health care that Mitch McConnell has," Booker said.

If the senator leaves office before his term ends, the seat would be filled through a special election, as required through a 2024 law change passed by the Kentucky legislature.

McConnell has had a number of medical scares in recent years. In two separate instances in 2023, he appeared to freeze up while taking questions from reporters. His staff in both instances later said he momentarily felt "lightheaded," and at each event he continued to take questions after a few moments. McConnell has also suffered a number of falls in recent years and has at times used a wheelchair in crowded areas — he survived a bout with polio as a child, which has affected mobility in his left leg throughout his life.

McConnell was hospitalized earlier this year as well, spending eight days at the facility before being discharged. In that instance, his staff said he'd been experiencing "flu-like symptoms" when he checked in.

Reach Lucas Aulbach at laulbach@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Mitch McConnell health still unknown as Tom Kean returns to Congress

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