A majority of Republican voters want Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to resign. The Senate minority leader froze twice this summer while addressing the press.
A recent poll from the right-leaning Rasmussen Reports shows that 74% of Republicans have called on McConnell to step down. When expanded to all voters, that number drops a percentage point to 73%. In addition, most voters, 60%, view McConnell unfavorably.
The poll was conducted last week, from September 3-5. The margin of error is 3%.
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McConnell has faced criticism from the left and the right in recent years. On the right, former President Donald Trump has repeatedly disparaged McConnell. It appears the feeling is mutual, with a book quoting McConnell as saying “The Democrats are going to take care of the son of a bitch for us,” after the January 6 insurrection, according to CNN. Even when he voted to acquit Trump during his second impeachment, McConnell made clear he blamed him for the insurrection.
“There’s no question, none, that President Trump is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of the day,” McConnell said at the time, according to NPR.
“He did not do his job. He didn’t take steps so federal law could be faithfully executed and order restored,” he continued. “No. Instead, according to public reports, he watched television happily — happily — as the chaos unfolded. Even after it was clear to any reasonable observer that Vice President Pence was in serious danger.”
On the left, McConnell is hated for many reasons, but one of the biggest is McConnell’s refusal to hold hearings on former President Barack Obama’s pick for Supreme Court during the final year of his second term. He said that it would be improper to hold the hearing during an election year when his party may not win. However, McConnell was happy to hold hearings for Amy Coney Barrett only a month before the 2020 election.
McConnell has also faced concerns over his age and health. In addition to freezing twice during press conferences this summer, he’s also fallen at least three times this year. In 2020, McConnell went viral for photos showing his lips and hands bruised and blue.
The senator is 81 years old, and a member of one of the oldest congresses in U.S. history. The average senator is 65.3 years old, according to the Pew Research Center. In the House, the average age is just under 58. Questions of age have come up several times about many different the current crop of politicians, including Biden and Trump—both of whom, when elected, broke the record for oldest president—and California Senator Dianne Feinstein.