Earlier today, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell froze mid-sentence while addressing a clutch of reporters in Kentucky, the second time he has done so, publicly, in as many months. His office said he “felt momentarily lightheaded” and would see a physician this afternoon.
Even before those two incidents, McConnell’s age and health have fueled growing speculation about succession plans. A hard fall, in March, kept him off the Senate floor for roughly six weeks. Since then, he’s been seen around the Capitol occasionally using a wheelchair as a precaution. But the Senate Republican insiders and observers I’ve spoken with tell me there’s been no increased urgency to discuss the anticipated leadership race between the three best-positioned candidates: Senators John Barrasso, John Cornyn and John Thune, the presumed frontrunner.
