Kentucky politician is longest-serving party leader in Senate history

US Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, 81, was admitted to hospital after falling at a hotel in Washington on Wednesday night, his representative 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”, they said, without elaborating.

An ambulance was sent to the Waldorf Astoria Hotel at 9.17pm after it was reported that someone had been injured during a fall, DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services spokesman Vito Maggiolo told Bloomberg.

It was not known how long the senior Republican would be away from the Senate.

The Kentucky politician first went to Congress in 1984. Since then he has become the upper chamber’s longest-serving party leader in history, leading the Republicans for the 17th year when the new Congress convened in January.

The Republican served as majority leader from 2015-2021, where he worked with former president Donald Trump to shepherd three conservative judges to the US Supreme Court.

He is the third senator to be admitted to hospital in recent weeks.

Democrat John Fetterman was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre to have treatment for clinical depression. Mr Fetterman’s chief of staff said the senator “will be back soon”, sharing photos of the politician conducting business wearing a hoodie and shorts.

Diane Feinstein, the Senate’s longest-serving member, received treatment at a hospital in San Francisco for shingles and is now at home as she continues treatment.

Mr McConnell’s term runs until the end of 2026.

Agencies contributed to this report