Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) showed up to vote in the Senate on Monday in a wheelchair and wearing a leg brace after he fell down the steps outside the Senate chamber on Wednesday.
Aides had to help McConnell from the wheelchair into his SUV after the vote, according to video footage posted on X.
Sen McConnell in a boot and a wheelchair tonight for votes https://t.co/ZZhaUIFjjj pic.twitter.com/olSObElKd3
— haleytalbotcnn (@haleytalbotcnn) February 10, 2025
McConnell is 82, the same age as former President Joe Biden. His birthday is next week.
He has had a series of falls and accidents over the past two years, including several while he was the Senate Minority Leader.
After he fell on Wednesday, he was helped up by Sens. Steve Daines (R-MT) and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and tried to walk it off, but must have sought medical attention later.
As Minority Leader, McConnell kept a tight grip on the campaign dollars the party gave to Senate candidates, giving him much leverage when seeking support for or opposition to legislation.
He stepped down as Republican leader at the end of the 2024 session, but has said he wants to serve out the rest of his Senate term, which will end in 2027.
McConnell is still the chairman of the Rules and Administration Committee and also sits on the Appropriations Committee and the Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee.
Which is to say, he still has some considerable power in the Senate even without being leader.
He's not the oldest senator in the chamber right now, either. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) is 91 and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is 83.
Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Angus King (I-ME), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) are all 80 or older, but younger than McConnell.
More than half of the chamber is over 60, but that makes sense when you consider that Senate seats are statewide offices and many senators spend years in local or House seats.
The average age in the previous Senate was 64.
