Next week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell will return to the upper chamber after spending five weeks away recovering from a concussion and fall. His return comes as Republicans and Democrats have grappled with narrow margins in the Senate, and will provide the GOP a much-needed vote. Additionally, he’ll arrive amid speculation about whether he intends to retire soon, documented by a Spectator report this week.
McConnell’s return will bolster Republicans’ numbers in the 51-49 Senate, and sends a decisive message that he doesn’t intend to relinquish his seat or leadership role, at least not at this time.
“No, he’ll be back Monday,” a McConnell aide told the Daily Signal following a question about whether McConnell intends to retire before his term expires in 2027. McConnell also posted a statement on Thursday announcing that he’s “looking forward to returning.”
I am looking forward to returning to the Senate on Monday. We’ve got important business to tackle and big fights to win for Kentuckians and the American people.
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) April 13, 2023
McConnell’s absence came as both parties have faced absences — and tighter margins on the Senate floor as a result. On the Democratic side, Sen. Dianne Feinstein has also been absent since February recovering from a case of shingles, and Sen. John Fetterman is also set to return next week, after receiving a roughly two-month treatment for clinical depression.
These absences have added to scrutiny of lawmakers’ ages and whether older senators are fit to serve. Because McConnell has been away for a longer period, and because there wasn’t significant information provided about his condition at times, questions like those reported in the Spectator have begun to proliferate as well.
Such speculation has put a spotlight on the lack of a clear successor to McConnell — as well as on the fractured nature of the Senate GOP conference and the Republican Party…
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