Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) pledged to return to the Senate next week after retirement rumors intensified Thursday.
McConnell, who was hospitalized for a concussion and rib fracture, quickly put out a statement to tamp down rumors he would retire and not return to the Senate. McConnell has been out for over one month.
“I am looking forward to returning to the Senate on Monday. We’ve got important business to tackle and big fights to win for Kentuckians and the American people,” he posted on Twitter.
The statement came just hours after multiple sources confirmed to Spectator that Sens. John Barrasso (R-ND), John Cornyn (R-TX), and John Thune (R-SD) “are actively reaching out to fellow Republican senators in efforts to prepare for an anticipated leadership vote.”
A vote would indicate that McConnell would step down as the longest-serving Senate party leader in history after winning January’s reelection as Senate GOP leader. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984.
In November, ten defectors voted against McConnell for challenger Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). The votes against McConnell marked the first time he has received a “no” vote for the leadership position, a sign the Republican Party has begun to turn against his establishment agenda.
Under McConnell’s leadership, the nation has struggled with soaring debt, illegal immigration, and deteriorating real wages. McConnell presided over the enactment of Obamacare, the 2008 big bank bailout, big tech censorship, and Dr. Anthony Fauci’s alleged lies to Congress without consequences.
Related: Sen. Hawley RIPS Mitch McConnell’s “Terrible Record:” “We Need a Change in Direction”
Follow Wendell Husebø on Twitter @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.