McConnell's absence puts Trump agenda at risk as Kentucky succession questions grow
A deadline that could have determined Sen. Mitch McConnell’s future in the Senate has come and gone as the timeline for the Kentucky Republican’s return remains in the air.Speculation swirled...
By Fox News · Fox News
A deadline that could have determined Sen. Mitch McConnell’s future in the Senate has come and gone as the timeline for the Kentucky Republican’s return remains in the air. Speculation swirled over Aug. 3 and its ramifications for McConnell’s winnowing tenure in the Senate, given that he’s been absent from the public eye since early June and is slated to retire at the end of this year. Armchair election quarterbacks suggested that Monday was the day for Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, to have called a special election to replace McConnell. MCCONNELL OUT OF HOSPITAL, STILL NOT 'MEDICALLY CLEARED' TO RETURN TO SENATE But the longtime Republican has not vacated his seat, and Beshear contended that the obscure deadline had no real legal teeth. "I know there are a lot of folks wondering about the significance of August 3 regarding a potential Senate vacancy," Beshear said on X. "I want everyone to know that this date has no legal impact on my options should there be a vacancy this year." Still, Kentucky’s Senate succession law has undergone major changes in recent years. Should the Bluegrass State suddenly have a vacant seat in the upper chamber, Beshear wouldn’t be allowed to appoint a replacement as is the case in other states — this was most recently put to the test when Sen. Lindsey Graham suddenly died in South Carolina. COLLINS DROPS THE HAMMER ON TRUMP'S PICK TO LEAD DOJ, JEOPARDIZING PATH TO CONFIRMATION That means if McConnell’s seat were to become vacant, Beshear would be required to call a special election to fill his remaining time in the Senate. When asked for comment on the matter, McConnell’s office directed Fox News Digital to the last statement from the senator, released on July 27, that detailed under doctors' orders that he was not "medically cleared" to return to the Senate quite yet. "I’m still working hard to get back to my full schedule of work in the Senate and in Kentucky, keeping up with intense physical therapy per my doctors’ orders,"…