As many of you are aware by now, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell suffered yet another medical incident on August 30 where he was seen freezing up while in the midst of a press conference.
This hasn’t been the first time the 81-year-old politician has experienced a medical emergency, as he also suffered a fall back in March that required hospitalization.
Not to mention over a month ago, he was caught having another freezing episode, again in the middle of a press conference.
Both politicians and the public alike have called for McConnell to step down from his leadership role as a result.
McConnell has faced further health questions as he plans to finish out his term which will end in January of 2025.
These events have raised speculation about who could potentially be chosen to fill the minority leader position should McConnell step aside.
The current minority whip, Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, appears to be the most likely candidate to take over for McConnell if needed.
At 62 years old, Thune has been in the Senate since 2005 and served as whip since 2019.
As the No. 2 Republican in office, this could make him an ideal choice for completing McConnell’s term should he reverse his initial statements about finishing it out himself.
Sen. John Cornyn from Texas is another potential successor being considered due to having two more years under his belt as senator than Thune and prior experience leading “campaign arm” that helps Republicans win senatorial elections – an area where Thune lacks knowledge.
The 71 year old former associate justice of the Texas Supreme Court has also previously been mentioned as a possible Supreme Court nominee which speaks volumes on its own regarding how respected Cornyn is within politics circles regardless of party allegiance or ideological differences among them all.
Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso may be third on the list when considering replacements for McConnell but certainly not least by any means.
Appointed to serve in Senate after Craig Thomas’ death from complications of leukemia back in 2007, Barrasso later replaced Thune as head of Senate Republican Conference when the latter became Republican whip back in 2019 making him thoroughly qualified for such matters despite being 71 years old like both previous candidates named earlier above.
It remains unclear who will get chosen if/when Mitch McConnell steps down from his Senate leadership role though one thing is certain: McConnell has made it blatantly clear his time is up.
