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What happens if Mitch McConnell is unable to finish his US Senate term?

Al Jazeera · back to the audit

It was a Capitol Hill mystery. For nearly a month, United States Senator Mitch McConnell was not seen or heard from in public.
Little was known about the 84-year-old's condition, other than that he was hospitalised on June 14.
McConnell's poor health and the sudden passing of his Senate colleague Lindsey Graham have reignited the question: What would happen if McConnell were unable to serve the remainder of his term?
Kentucky is now one of four US states where the governor does not have authority to fill Senate vacancies.
In 2024, Kentucky's Republican-controlled legislature passed a law requiring Senate vacancies to be filled by a special election, which must be called by the governor.
"I think there's a decent chance the issue could end up in the courts," said Joshua Douglas, a University of Kentucky law professor who teaches election law.
Douglas believes there may be a contradiction between the new law and parts of the Kentucky Constitution.