Topline
Some right-wing figures are floating the idea that Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., who lost his May primary to a Trump-backed challenger, could replace Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., if he resigns from office early.
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is seen during a Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Department of Defense budget hearing at the Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington, DC on May 19, 2026. (Photo by Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Anadolu via Getty Images
Key Facts
The suggestion comes as McConnell, 84, has been hospitalized for weeks, prompting rampant conspiracies about his health and speculation his seat could become vacant before he retires at the end of the year.
Trump ally Steve Bannon is among those on the right suggesting the Republican establishment is shielding the state of McConnell’s health from the public to allow him to remain in office long enough to avoid Massie running for his seat.
Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., also fueled the idea when she told TMZ on Tuesday that “Thomas Massie would make a great senator.”
Massie, however, has not said whether he would run in a special election to replace McConnell—and even if he did, he would only serve until January, when the winner of the November election to succeed McConnell takes office.
Kentucky’s special election process for Senate vacancies, enacted in 2024, is untested and the timing of a special election so close to a general election is somewhat unclear—the governor is required to notify local officials 56 days before the special election must occur, and candidates must be nominated at least 49 days prior to the election.
Louisville Metro Council member and former state Rep. Kevin Brachter, who sponsored the change to the vacancy process in 2024, told local news channel WLKY if McConnell’s seat becomes vacant within 56 days of the Nov. 3 general election, after Sept. 8, then the seat would remain vacant until the winner of the general election takes office in January.
Tangent
Massie lost his primary race to retired Navy SEAL captain Ed Gallrein by 10 points after Trump and pro-Israel groups backed Gallrein. Massie was among Trump’s top Republican targets in this year’s midterms as the Republican senator has repeatedly bucked his party and voted against Trump’s legislative priorities. Rep. Andy Barr, R-Ky., and former Rep. Charles Booker, D-Ky., are competing in the November general election to replace McConnell. Barr is likely to win as the seat is considered solidly Republican.
What To Watch For
The state parties would likely nominate Barr and Booker to run in a special election to fill the remainder of McConnell’s term, if one is held, but Massie could run as an independent. He would hav
Surprising Fact
Kentucky is one of five states that requires a special election to choose a temporary replacement versus appointment by the state’s governor.
Key Background
McConnell has been hospitalized since June 14, when he was found unconscious and transported to a local Kentucky hospital via an Advanced Life Support ambulance, Punchbowl News and the New York Post reported. His office has not disclosed details on the reason for his admission, but told Louisville’s Spectrum News channel on Tuesday, McConnell “continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session,” repeating a statement it gave multiple outlets last week. Longtime Kentucky commentator Scott Jennings said he spoke with his “old friend” McConnell Tuesday morning for nearly 20 minutes about a number of issues, including Iran, Ukraine, the Maine Senate election, Jennings’ visit to a presidential library and “even a little bit of Senate history.” A spokesperson for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., also told NOTUS Thune spoke with McConnell on Monday and Tuesday and “had a lengthy and substantive conversation that covered a variety of topics, including national security.” Thune and Jennings issued the statements after right-wing activist Laura Loomer and independent journalist Desirée Townsend claimed unnamed sources said McConnell was braindead and on life support.