Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear issues an ultimatum to Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., demanding he prove he’s still capable of serving in the U.S. Senate — or resign.
“As governor of the state you serve, I ask that you address the people of Kentucky directly and verbally and provide proof of your ability to serve or rule,” Beshear wrote.
Failing that, the Democratic governor said he would call on Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., to “investigate” McConnell’s condition and “begin the process if warranted” to replace him in the Senate. Beshear wrote a separate letter to Thune describing the same request.
Beshear’s letter comes after McConnell was hospitalized in Washington on June 14 and has not been seen in public since. McConnell’s office released two photos and written statements claiming he suffered a fall, amid public pressure to be transparent and conspiracy theories on the nature of his condition.
“It has now been 43 days since the news of your hospitalization,” Beshear wrote to McConnell. “During this time, you have cast zero votes, participated in no official activities, and, other than two photos and corresponding statements, have made no effort to communicate with your Kentucky constituents or the nation. Even the written statement from the attending physician does not discuss your actual condition, including whether you can speak, reason, or perform your duties as a senator.”
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear in Des Moines, Iowa, June 7.KC McGinnis/Bloomberg via Getty Images fileMcConnell’s office declined to comment on Beshear’s letter.
Asked to comment on Beshear’s calls to investigate McConnell’s condition, Thune said Tuesday that it wasn’t his problem to solve.
“I saw that letter, but regardless, I think this is really an issue that concerns Senator McConnell and the people of Kentucky,” Thune told NBC News. “I mean, if the governor wants to, I’m not sure what his prerogatives are in this case. But that’s where the problem needs to be resolved.”
Beshear, a potential 2028 presidential candidate, released his letter as McConnell faced calls from the left and right to be more forthcoming. He is not the first senator to face an absence from the Senate for health reasons, and the chamber does not have transparency rules for members holding the position.
“We’ve seen widespread speculation on social media and elsewhere that this could all be totally avoided, and it’s all within Senator McConnell’s power,” Beshear told reporters Tuesday. “But since he won’t, the fact is we don’t know.”
“I hope everything is okay, that he is competent to serve, but asking someone to prove that to their constituents is not a difficult task,” he added. “It’s not intrusive. You’re one of two U.S. senators supposed to represent Kentucky in Washington. Just talk to people.”
In most states, governors appoint a new senator when one of their state’s seats is vacant, but not in Kentucky, where state law specifies that a special election must be held instead.
McConnell has already announced his intention to retire at the end of his current term, which expires at the end of 2026. Rep. Andy Barr won the Republican primary to succeed him earlier this year and is favored to win in the red state.