Longtime Kentucky Sen. Mitch McConnell has been hospitalized for three weeks, fueling rampant online speculation about his health and ability to complete his final term ending in January.CNN contributor Scott Jennings joined sev eral sitting Senators in announcing they had had phone conversations with McConnell on Monday and Tuesday, with Jennings downplaying online rumors, speaking to CNN host Kasie Hunt."All I can say today is all the rumors about him being dead or brain dead or his body being hidden somewhere, I've seen some crazy stuff on the internet, that's obviously not true because he picked up the phone and called me," Jennings said.This hospitalization is the latest in a string of health issues stretching back years, including multiple falls and two press conferences where McConnell appeared to freeze for seconds at a time.WCPO talked with Shauna Reilly, a professor of political science at Northern Kentucky University, about what would happen if McConnell couldn't complete his final term.She pointed to the Kentucky Legislature's successful 2024 effort to strip Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear's ability to appoint an interim senator to fill McConnell's seat."It says the governor has to call a special election," Reilly said.Beshear would have 30 days to call an election, and prospective candidates would then have 49 days to consider running and file."In the meantime, it will remain vacant," Reilly said.Reilly said the timing of the seat becoming vacant could become problematic, given that timeline, around August 3 and later, because the special election could conflict with the already scheduled November midterm elections.She said that if that happens, it could create a question for courts to resolve.Another question for the courts would arise if Beshear decides to challenge the 2024 law in court."This would be the first time we're testing the law, if you will, so I think there are some pieces that are a little less clear in the law," Reilly said.Senator McConnell's team sent us the following statement Tuesday about his health:Senator McConnell appreciates the outpouring of support hes receiving while he continues his recovery in the hospital. The Senator continues to improve, and is working closely with his staff on Kentucky and Senate matters while the Senate is out of session. ...read more read less