What happens if Mitch McConnell steps down?

Top U.S. Senate Republican Mitch McConnell froze up for more than 30 seconds on Wednesday during a public appearance before he was escorted away, the second such incident in little more than a month, a clip from an NBC News affiliate showed.

McConnell, 81, was responding to questions from reporters after an event with the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce in Covington when he froze up, staring into space and not responding to reporters and others nearby.

The incident raised fresh questions among Republican and Democratic members of Congress about some of their aging colleagues.

What happens if Mitch Mcconnell steps down?

Even if Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell steps down, his Senate seat would remain in Republican hands even though the state’s governor is a Democrat.

That’s because GOP legislators in his home state of Kentucky — with his backing — made it impossible for anyone but a Republican to replace him, over the objections of Gov. Andy Beshear.