Queer Kentucky

No, Mitch McConnell is not confirmed “brain dead.” Yet.

That claim came from a social media post by Laura Loomer, a far-right activist close to Trump. This is the same Loomer who, in her sworn defamation deposition against Bill Maher, insisted Marjorie Taylor Greene “carries roast beef in her pockets” and claimed Trump staffers told her Sen. Lindsey Graham is gay. (But who isn’t in 2026?)

Here’s what we actually know. McConnell, 84, was hospitalized on June 14, and the only reason the public knows how serious it was is independent journalist Desirée Townsend, who obtained and released EMS dispatch audio describing CPR in progress for cardiac arrest at his home. Outlets have since corroborated the details. Following Loomer’s claim, Townsend said she’s heard the same thing. However, nothing has been confirmed.

So the full picture at the time of this posting is three separate things: what’s confirmed (a serious hospitalization), what’s credibly reported (the cardiac arrest audio), and what’s currently just a rumor (the “brain dead” post).

And the real story? A sitting senator who represents every Kentuckian has been out of view for weeks while his office tells us next to nothing. And what’s complicating this? In 2024, Kentucky lawmakers passed a law over Gov. Beshear’s veto stripping the governor’s power to appoint a Senate replacement, sending any vacancy straight to a special election instead. It’s a change that has never been tested in the Commonwealth, and certainly not in an election year where candidates are already squaring off to replace McConnell.

Stay with Q***r Kentucky for more updates as we learn more.

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Photo by Matthew Pruitt