In a recently released poll, longtime Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell reached his lowest favorability rating in two decades, as questions surrounding his health and prolonged absence from the Senate continue to intensify. The CNN/SSRS poll, released Thursday, July 30, comes amid growing calls for transparency as the 84-year-old Kentucky senator remains out of public view following his hospitalization after a June 14 fall.
Poll shows Mitch McConnell’s weakest favorability since 2006
The latest CNN/SSRS survey found McConnell with an 11% favorability rating, the lowest recorded by the pollster since it began tracking his image in 2006. His unfavorable rating stood at 53%, while 15% of respondents said they had never heard of him and another 20% had no opinion. The decline marks a further drop from October 2023, when McConnell registered 16% favorability and 58% unfavorable. His strongest showing in the poll came in December 2010, when 32% viewed him favorably compared with 25% unfavorably.
The CNN survey also found that 59% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents would be uneasy or upset if the party nominated someone over age 70 for office, while 41% said they would be enthusiastic or comfortable with such a nominee.
Office of the Attending Physician shares statement amid mounting speculation
While McConnell’s office has issued periodic updates, it has provided few details about his current state of health beyond his rehabilitation progress. Public speculation, meanwhile, has continued, fueled by “Missing Mitch McConnell” posters appearing in Washington and newly released photographs that prompted online discussion about his recovery.
On Monday, July 27, the Office of the Attending Physician said, “Sen. McConnell continues his recovery from a fall at home in June. OAP physicians visit with the senator every day, discussing all aspects of his rehabilitation care. Since his discharge from hospital care, he has maintained a strenuous course of physical therapy and rehabilitation, including multiple sessions a day designed to rebuild strength and reduce the risk of future falls. His bout with childhood polio continues to be a significant factor in his mobility. He is not yet medically cleared to leave the rehab facility and return to the office.”
‘The writing is on the wall that he should resign’
Robert Y. Shapiro, professor of political science at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, said McConnell’s handling of his health has damaged public confidence. “His silence on his health was not well received — as has his being away from the Senate. The writing is on the wall that he should resign, but his incentive for staying on is to finish his term as a matter of honor and completion if he can, and especially not let his state’s governor appoint a Democrat to finish his term,” Shapiro said in a statement to Newsweek.
Andy Beshear presses Mitch McConnell for answers
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has intensified pressure on McConnell by repeatedly calling for a fuller public update on the senator’s condition. This week, the Democratic governor sent letters to both McConnell and Senate Majority Leader John Thune, noting that more than six weeks had passed since the senator’s hospitalization and pointing out that he had not participated in any Senate votes or legislative business during that period.
Beshear argued that Kentuckians deserve clarity on whether McConnell remains capable of carrying out his duties, urging the senator to demonstrate he is fit to serve or step aside. He also asked Thune to evaluate whether additional action is warranted, arguing that elected officials, particularly U.S. senators, “willingly abdicate much of your personal privacy” when questions arise about their ability to serve.
Mitch McConnell’s last public update
After Beshear publicly urged greater transparency regarding the senator’s condition on July 11, McConnell’s office released a statement in which the 84-year-old senator said doctors were still determining what caused the June 14 fall and advised him against returning to the Senate immediately. “As much as it frustrates me, this process takes time,” McConnell said. “And on the advice of my doctors, I won’t be able to return to the Senate floor to vote quite yet. But rest assured that, in the meantime, I’m not taking a break from the Senate business that matters to you.”
“I can assure you that I’ve been a good patient. … At my age, I tend to do what my doctors tell me to do,” he added.
McConnell’s statement included a photograph of the senator alongside his wife, Elaine Chao, but it did little to quiet public speculation about his health.