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The Mitch Is Back: Kentucky Sen. McConnell Returns to Congress for First Vote in Three Months

Warren Squire
Warren Squire  |  2:20 AM on September 15, 2026

On Monday night, Sen. Mitch McConnell returned to the Senate floor. Staff aided the wheelchair-bound 84-year-old Kentucky senator. It marked his first vote at the Capitol in three months. Wild rumors and speculation about his condition have swirled since he was hospitalized in June following a fall. Calls for his resignation and term limits will likely increase now that he's back. 

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Here’s more. (READ)

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) voted at the Capitol on Monday for the first time in three months, after a fall that raised concerns about his health and whether he would return to work.

He arrived in a wheelchair flanked by his chief of staff and a longtime aide, addressing the press in brief remarks outside the Senate chamber that Senate officials didn’t allow to be videotaped.

“I must admit, after two years of—decades actually—of dodging your questions, I wasn’t sure how many of you would be here today,” McConnell joked to reporters. His speech wasn’t clearly enunciated and at times hard to make out.

McConnell gave a thumbs-up during the first vote, a procedural measure on confirming a federal judge.

Here’s video of McConnell’s journey from his D.C. residence to the Senate floor. (WATCH)

McConnell is more tortoise than groundhog.

Commenters are demanding term limits due to McConnell's long absence and his various health issues. They question whether he even knows what he’s voting on. (WATCH)

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(post continues) ...LIMITS.

It's a good thing that this is McConnell's final few months in the Senate. He definitely should've retired last time, rather than run for reelection

Term limits in Congress would require a Constitutional Amendment. Good luck getting that to happen.

Before the vote, McConnell spoke outside the Senate but didn’t take any questions. No video recording was allowed. 

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(post continues) ...Congress. I'm here to work on the farm bill... As I think you know, I have an ongoing issue in NATO and backing up our good friends who are totally in the fight against the Russians.”

He didn’t answer any questions.

We’re fairly certain that McConnell’s public freeze-ups mean we’ve seen the last of his press conference days.

Some posters say McConnell seemed a bit flat during his return. (WATCH)

A green flash means ‘yes,’ and a red flash means ‘no.’ Republicans need a youth movement so bad.