Mitch McConnell Hospitalized With Flu-Like Symptoms

“In an abundance of caution, after experiencing flu-like symptoms over the weekend, Senator McConnell checked himself into a local hospital for evaluation last night,” Popp said in a statement. “He is in regular contact with his staff and looks forward to return to Senate business.”

Popp did not specify when McConnell plans to return to Washington.

McConnell, who has suffered various health scares in recent years, was seen falling in the basement of the Russell Senate Office building in October 2025 while a reporter, who blocked access to the railing, peppered him with questions. As a childhood polio survivor, McConnell’s gait has long been unsteady, but he’s grown noticeably frail over the past year. He is frequently escorted around the Capitol while holding on to a member of his security team.

US Senator Mitch McConnell is helped up steps as he enters the US Capitol in Washington, DC on February 2, 2026. US House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed confidence on February 1 that he has the votes to end by Tuesday a partial government shutdown triggered by the Trump administration’s violent immigration sweeps in Minneapolis. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / AFP via Getty Images)

McConnell, who began serving in the upper chamber in 1985, stepped down as Senate Republican leader in December 2024 after serving in the role for nearly two decades. He announced in February 2025 that he would not run for another term after his current one expires in January 2027.

Despite no longer being a part of Republican leadership, McConnell still serves as chair of the influential Senate Rules Committee. A group of conservative Republicans wrote to McConnell on Monday to urge him to schedule a markup of the SAVE Act. The election integrity bill, a top priority for the party’s base, would require proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.