US: Mitch McConnell hospitalized after fall

Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader of the US Senate, was hospitalized after falling at a hotel in Washington on Wednesday, a spokesman for the senator said.

McConnell, 81, was attending a private dinner at the local hotel when he tripped, spokesman Doug Andres said.

"This evening, Leader McConnell tripped at a local hotel during a private dinner. He has been admitted to the hospital where he is receiving treatment," Andres said.

In 2019, the GOP leader, who survived childhood polio, tripped and fell at his home in Kentucky. He had to undergo surgery to repair the resulting shoulder fracture.

McConnell was first elected senator from the state of Kentucky in 1984. When the new Congress convened in January, he became the longest-serving Senate leader, breaking the previous record of 16 years. 

It is unclear if McConnell will be out on Thursday and whether it would impact the planned votes. Republicans and Democrats each currently hold 49 seats in the 100-seat upper chamber of US Congress. Two seats are held by independents, both of whom caucus with the Democrats. 

John Thune, a senator from South Dakota, holds the position of the Senate's second-ranking Republican.

ss/jsi (AP, Reuters)