Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell’s recent hospitalization is creating an additional hurdle for GOP legislative priorities, particularly the stalled SAVE Act, signaling fresh complications for Republican leaders ahead of key votes.McConnell, 83, was admitted to a Washington-area hospital Monday night after experiencing flu-like symptoms, his office said, and is being evaluated as a precaution. A spokesperson said his prognosis is positive and he remains in contact with his staff, but the absence follows previous health concerns and adds uncertainty to Senate operations.
The senator, who served as Senate Republican leader for nearly two decades before stepping down in 2024 and has said he will not seek re-election in 2026, missed votes early in the week while hospitalized.
McConnell’s position as chair of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee has made his presence central to advancing key GOP measures, including the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which aims to tighten verification requirements for voter registration in federal elections. The legislation has languished in committee, and McConnell’s temporary absence is expected to delay further movement.
On the same day that McConnell was admitted to the hospital, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas) joined 34 of his Republican colleagues in sending a formal request to him.
Their letter urged McConnell to hold a committee markup session and advance the bill toward a full Senate vote before the midterm elections next year. Gill also shared polling data on social media to emphasize their point.
“83% of Americans want proof of citizenship to vote, yet the Senate has done nothing for 300 days,” he posted. “The House did its job. The Senate needs to do theirs.”
Earlier this week, CNN data analyst Harry Enten analyzes the results of a Pew poll that reveals significant support for voter ID requirements. The poll shows that 95% of Republicans and 71% of Democrats agree with entertainer Nicki Minaj’s statement advocating for the necessity of a photo ID to vote.
“On showing a photo I.D. to vote, the American people are with Nicki Minaj. What are we talking about here? So, take a look here,” he said during a segment discussing the polling results.
“‘Favor voter I.D. to vote.’ Look, I’ve got all this polling on the screen going back since 2018. You’ll notice on all of it, it’s all north of 75 percent, 76 percent, 76 percent, 76 percent, 81 percent, and then 83 percent in the last year of Americans agree with Nicki Minaj, they favor photo I.D. to be able to vote.”
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He added, “Normally you might expect, hey, there’d be a big divide by party with Republicans really for it and Democrats really against it. But not really here. I mean just take a look here, favor photo I.D. to vote. You’ve got 95 percent of Republicans, pretty much all of them, but even 71 percent of Democrats favor photo I.D. to vote.
“So again, Nicki Minaj posted that on X. And what you see is, is that the American people — actually it’s not really all that controversial. The American people are with Nicki Minaj, whether they are Republican or even if they are Democrats. We’re talking about seven in ten Democrats agreeing with Nicki Minaj that you, in fact, should show a voter photo I.D. to vote,” Enten continued.
“What’s the racial breakdown on this, right, because I think a lot of people make the argument that people of color, nonwhite Americans, have a harder time procuring a photo I.D. to vote. But even here, take a look here, favor photo I.D. to vote. Eighty-five percent of white people favor it. Eighty-two percent of Latinos. Seventy-six percent of black Americans favor it,” he said.
“So, the bottom line is this, voter I.D. is not controversial in this country. A photo I.D. to vote is not controversial in this country. It is not controversial by party, and it is not controversial by race,” the analyst concluded.
