Kentucky Gov. declines to discuss Senate replacement

Gov. Andy Beshear (D-Ky.) declined to talk about a replacement for a Senate seat in Kentucky when talking to reporters Thursday.

The Kentucky governor’s comments came the day after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell appeared to freeze up at a press event for the second time in a matter of weeks, leading to renewed concerns about his health and fitness for office.

“There is no Senate vacancy,” Beshear said. “Senator McConnell has said he’s going to serve out his term, and I believe him, so I’m not going to speculate about something that hasn’t happened, and isn’t going to happen.”

If a senator leaves office due to “death, resignation or expulsion,” the Seventeenth Amendment “allows state legislatures to empower the governor to appoint a replacement to complete the term or to hold office until a special election can take place.”

Kentucky law requires the governor to select an appointee from “a list of three names submitted by the state executive committee of the same political party as the Senator who held the vacant seat to be filled.”

A Capitol doctor cleared McConnell “to continue with his schedule as planned” Thursday. A McConnell spokesperson said the senator had experienced lightheadedness following the incident. 

“I have consulted with Leader McConnell and conferred with his neurology team. After evaluating yesterday’s incident, I have informed Leader McConnell that he is medically clear to continue with his schedule as planned. Occasional lightheadedness is not uncommon in concussion recovery and can also be expected as a result of dehydration,” the doctor said in a statement.