Republican lawmaker issues ominous pronouncement on Mitch McConnell's fate as hospitalization hits 25th day

By VICTORIA CHURCHILL, US POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 21:44, 9 July 2026 | Updated: 21:46, 9 July 2026 Senator Mitch McConnell's prolonged absence from Capitol Hill is alarming even to members of his own political party. 'Do you know that he's alive?' asked NewsNation anchor Markie Martin. 'I don't,' replied Congressman Marlin Stutzman, an Indiana Republican, breathing new life into a red-hot rumor that McConnell is in a vegetative state or worse. McConnell, 84, was hospitalized on June 14th and has not been publicly seen since then. Earlier this week, he spoke with some of his congressional colleagues by phone and indicated that he was on the mend and looking forward to returning to work soon. One person he didn't talk to, however, was Stutzman, who delivered a blunt answer when asked in a Thursday TV segment about the former GOP leader. 'I have not heard from him, and I think it's a question that Republicans should be asking because he does represent the state of Kentucky,' Stutzman noted in a Thursday appearance on NewsNation, adding, 'His constituents deserve answers where he is at.'  Stutzman also drew a damning comparison between McConnell and former President Joe Biden, who experienced a rapid decline in his health during the end of his presidency. 'For years our party called on Democrats to be transparent on what was going on with Joe Biden,' Stutzman noted on X, before adding, 'we can all see something was off, and it took until he was under the national spotlight on a debate stage with Donald Trump for Democrats to admit what we Americans all saw clearly.' Republican Senator Mitch McConnell  listens during a Senate Committee on Appropriations subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill, June 26, 2025, in Washington NewsNation anchor Markie Martin asked  Congressman Marlin Stutzman, an Indiana Republican, if he knew of McConnell's current health condition South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace also compared McConell's health mystery to the previous concerning health state of former president Joe Biden  The Indiana congressman added: 'Republicans should be holding our own party accountable instead of tiptoeing around the truth.' He is not alone in drawing the Biden parallel. South Carolina Republican Nancy Mace piled on Thursday, writing on X: 'If McConnell is in as bad a shape as Biden ever was — or worse — he needs to step aside. 'This charade can't continue. We can't demand of others what we won't demand of ourselves.' McConnell, 84, who is not seeking re-election in this year's midterms, has been dogged by health scares throughout his final term. His office said in a statement to reporters this week: 'Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support he's receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital. 'The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session.' The Daily Mail contacted McConnell's spokesperson for comment on Stutzman's remarks but did not hear back before publication. A fall last February left him reliant on a wheelchair and an aide to navigate the Capitol's hallways, months after an earlier tumble in December 2024 in which he sprained his wrist and cut his face. He has also endured several alarming on-camera 'freezing' episodes — most notably in August 2023, when he stood motionless for 30 seconds after being asked whether he would seek re-election in Kentucky, just weeks after abruptly halting mid-sentence at a press conference. The then-81-year-old gave no response when pressed on his political future, and has since announced he will not seek another term. McConnell, the longest-serving Republican leader in Senate history, first entered the chamber in 1985. He has long drawn the ire of Donald Trump and his MAGA faithful after a bitter, years-long feud. He stepped down as GOP leader in 2024, ending a reign stretching back to 2007 and clearing the way for John Thune to take the helm. His retirement opened up his Kentucky seat, with Congressman Andy Barr winning May's primary to become the Republican nominee in November's midterm elections. McConnell is far from alone. Aging lawmakers in both parties have been beset by health scares — and, in several cases, deaths in office. Veteran Georgia Democrat David Scott, 80, died suddenly in April after years of mounting concern over his fitness to serve. Scott spent 23 years in the House and had been the top Democrat on the Agriculture Committee, a post now held by Angie Craig. California Republican Doug LaMalfa, 65, died in January. In March, Trump stunned Washington by casually revealing the terminal diagnosis of Florida Republican Neal Dunn, a father of three, telling reporters doctors had pronounced 'he would be dead by June.' Speaker Mike Johnson, sitting beside the grinning President, quipped: 'Okay, that wasn't public.' Dunn had already ruled out running again in 2026. Even Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, 74, was hospitalized 'out of an abundance of caution' last summer after becoming lightheaded at the Senate gym during 100-degree Washington heat. A few prominent veterans, however, have chosen to bow out before events force their hand. Washington, DC, delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, 88, abandoned her bid for a 19th term in January, while former House speaker Nancy Pelosi, 85, is retiring after 20 terms in Congress.