Sen. Mitch McConnell did not suffer strokes or seizures: Capitol physician

Sen. Mitch McConnell’s recent health episodes show “no evidence” of stroke or seizure, the Capitol physician said in a letter on Tuesday.

The Kentucky Republican, 81, froze up mid-sentence after being asked about running for reelection in 2026 during a press conference in Kentucky last week, a month after a similar incident occurred while the Senate minority leader was speaking to reporters at the Capitol.

The episodes, which came several months after McConnell was hospitalized after a fall, have led to immediate speculation about McConnell’s future.

McConnell “appreciates the continued support of his colleagues, and plans to serve his full term in the job they overwhelmingly elected him to do,” a McConnell spokesperson said in a statement last month, sidestepping questions about the senator’s plans to run for reelection.

Last week, Dr. Brian Monahan, the attending physician of Congress, medically cleared the senator to return to work and attributed McConnell’s episodes to “lightheadedness,” possibly related to his concussion recovery.

In Tuesday’s letter, Monahan offered further assessment of McConnell’s condition after examining him following the Aug. 30 incident. The doctor declared neither that episode nor the event in July was the result of a seizure or stroke.

“There is no evidence that you have a seizure disorder or that you experienced a stroke, [a brief stroke] or movement disorder such as Parkinson’s disease,” Monahan wrote.

According to the letter, McConnell has undergone several medical evaluations, including a brain MRI, EEG study and consulted with multiple neurologists since his fall last March. Monahan said in the letter that McConnell had another MRI last week.

The letter does not offer any additional insight about what caused the episodes.

McConnell was first elected in 1984 and became the longest-serving Senate party leader in January. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), a long-serving colleague of McConnell, has said she will retire at the end of her term in 2024.

Under Kentucky law, the governor must appoint a replacement from the same political party if a Senator leaves office.

With News Wire Services