In the wake of several health-related incidents, there's growing talk regarding the uncertain future of Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (KY).
According to Breitbart, among voters of all political stripes, McConnell is shockingly unpopular. It's alarmingly bad.
A recent YouGov/Economist poll indicated that only 18% of voters, in general, see the elderly senator as "favorable." That number included 3% who view the senator as "very favorable," and 15% who viewed him as "somewhat favorable."
Breitbart noted:
Conversely, 60 percent of Americans hold unfavorable views of McConnell, and a plurality of 42 percent have “very unfavorable” perceptions. In other words, his rating is 42 points underwater.
Even when broken down by party line, McConnell struggles. Among Republicans, only 34% see him as "favorable," with only 5% of that number being "very favorable."
McConnell fell out of favor with a large chunk of the Republican side -- those who support former President Donald Trump -- after the two had a public falling out following the 2020 election.
Many have knocked the aging senator over his years on this planet, and question whether or not he's capable of holding the powerful Senate leadership position -- or a Senate seat at all.
Those concerns were raised once again not long ago when McConnell, who was trying to deliver remarks on-air, suddenly dropped off in his speech and "froze" for roughly 23 seconds. He was escorted away by several of his colleagues standing close by.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters that he’s “fine,” after freezing during a news conference today.
McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, stopped speaking in the middle of remarks at his regularly scheduled weekly news conference on Capitol Hill. After a 30-second… pic.twitter.com/aWYdr8kovg
— ∼Marietta (@MariettaDaviz) July 26, 2023
The moment, terrifying for anyone to experience or watch, triggered a revival in calls for his resignation or at least a step down from his top leadership post.
The senator later came out for the cameras to insist he was "fine," cracking a joke about being "sandbagged," which was a jab at something President Biden had said prior after taking a nasty fall at a commencement address.
"The president called to check on me. I told him I got sandbagged," McConnell told reporters.
After the freezing event, it was reported that McConnell had taken a fall earlier this year that kept him away from work for six weeks. Some suggested the freezing event could have been a result of the concussion he suffered by falling.
Only time will tell if pressure for McConnell's resignation intensifies, but he certainly can't afford another public incident.