McConnell’s return shines spotlight on older lawmakers

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The Hill's Headlines | PM - September 11, 2026

The Hill's Headlines | PM - September 11, 2026

Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) expected return to the Senate next week is drawing attention again to the health of aging lawmakers.

McConnell, 84, was hospitalized over the summer for nearly two months after falling at home and receiving treatment for pneumonia. He has since been recovering at home and engaging in what he described as an “intensive regimen of physical therapy.” 

His extended absence and advanced age have reignited conversations about lawmakers staying in office too long, with polls showing many voters support term limits, even as they also keep reelecting elder statesmen.

McConnell was first elected to the Senate in 1985 and is the 10th longest-serving senator in U.S. history. He is not seeking reelection to his current term, which ends in January. 

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) has repeatedly raised questions over whether McConnell is fit to serve because of his health challenges this summer.

“I hope that he is one of the reasons that we get term limits. I’ll tell you what, I’d even name the bill after him,” he told CNN.

Iowa’s 44-year-old Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Rob Sand, has voiced his support for both age and term limits. 

“The idea is, I want term limits. I want age limits. Let’s go get them,” he told reporters in April.

Compounding these arguments is the recent spate of lawmakers who have died in office, six in this term alone. Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) and David Scott (D-Ga.) were a decade or more past the typical retirement age of 65. Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.) was 71 when he died in office in July from aortic........

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