Most politicians have assiduously avoided the conspiracy theories surrounding Sen. Mitch McConnell’s health, but according to a new Daily Beast report, at least one candidate seeking his seat has “finally” dared to confront the question: “Is Mitch McConnell still alive?”
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McConnell’s extended absence from the public eye following a health emergency caused an uproar at the recent Fancy Farms picnic in Kentucky, which the senator has been attending regularly for decades. This year, owing to his purported health issues, he was unable to attend, leaving crowds at the event to chant, “Where’s Mitch?”
That was not the only McConnell drama that emerged from the picnic, however, with the Daily Beast on Wednesday reporting on comments made there by an obscure Senate candidate. Christopher Campbell is a U.S. Army National Guardsman and third-party candidate running for McConnell’s seat in the ongoing midterm elections, representing the recently formed Kentucky Party.
While speaking at the Fancy Farms picnic, he derisively compared the two major party candidates in the race, Democrat Charles Booker and Republican Rep. Andy Barr, to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and McConnell. After doing so, he added the quip, “Although I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.” In doing so, he became one of the vanishingly few lawmakers or candidates to address a major conspiracy theory around McConnell: that he has already died and his death is being kept a secret to protect his seat.
Campbell later spoke with Ballotpedia about the remark and claimed that his “primary interest was in the healthcare system.”
“I have spent a large chunk of my life working in the healthcare field,” he said. “I’ve learned a great deal about the pain and difficulties of life while working in nursing homes, hospitals, health departments[.]”
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At the same event, Democrat Booker referenced the situation surrounding McConnell, but stayed focused on the lack of transparency surrounding his condition.
“Where in the world is Mitch McConnell?” he asked. “I was the first person to call for transparency, and instead of speaking out for Kentucky, Andy Barr is being quiet as a church mouse.”
As The Daily Beast’s report highlighted, Kentucky Secretary of State Mike Adams used the situation as the basis for a “questionable joke” at the expense of the Democrat McConnell defeated to get reelected in 2020.
“Before I start, we should acknowledge someone who is not here with us today, but would give anything to be here with us today,“ Adams began. “Can we have a moment of silence for … Amy McGrath.”
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