Mitch McConnell’s long political career is not over yet, but his hometown newspaper is already writing the kind of obituary most politicians would dread.

The 84-year-old Kentucky Republican, who has been out of public view amid growing questions about his health, became the target of a blistering “pre-obituary” from Louisville Courier Journal columnist Joseph Gerth — and it was anything but a gentle farewell.

Instead of a soft-focus tribute to one of the most powerful Senate leaders in modern American history, Gerth delivered a scorching takedown of McConnell’s legacy, calling the senator a “despicable human being” and arguing that the good he did for Kentucky will ultimately be buried beneath the damage he allegedly did to the country.

The timing only made the column more explosive.

McConnell has been recovering after reportedly being rushed to the hospital in June following a fall at his Washington, D.C., home. With few public updates and a lengthy absence from view, wild rumors began spreading online, including unverified claims that the former Senate majority leader was “brain dead” or secretly in far worse condition than his office was admitting.

McConnell’s team has pushed back on the speculation, and reports indicate he is stable and recovering. His allies have also tried to quiet the rumor mill, with Republicans vouching for his condition and his team releasing signs of life to reassure the public.

But the silence surrounding one of the most consequential Republicans in Washington has only fueled more questions.

Gerth’s column landed right in the middle of that tension, and he made clear he was not waiting until McConnell’s actual obituary to say what he really thought.

“With McConnell allegedly on the mend, I figured I’d go ahead and tell you what I think about McConnell now,” Gerth wrote, saying he wanted to avoid the predictable outrage that comes when critics speak bluntly after a public figure dies.

The columnist pointed to the recent death of Sen. Lindsey Graham as part of the reason he decided to publish early. After Graham’s sudden passing, many people struggled with whether it was appropriate to criticize a powerful politician so soon after his death. Gerth made clear he wanted no such hesitation with McConnell.

In his view, McConnell’s legacy is already set — and not in a flattering way.

Gerth took particular aim at McConnell’s role in reshaping the U.S. Supreme Court, accusing him of manipulating the confirmation process in a way that changed the country for generations.

The most infamous example came in 2016, when McConnell refused to allow then-President Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, to receive a confirmation hearing after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. McConnell argued at the time that the vacancy should be filled after the presidential election.

Four years later, however, McConnell moved quickly to help confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the high court shortly before the 2020 election, giving conservatives a commanding majority on the Supreme Court.

To McConnell’s critics, that was not strategy. It was raw power politics.

Gerth also blasted McConnell over his relationship with President Donald Trump, a political alliance filled with tension, insults and grudging cooperation.

McConnell sharply criticized Trump after the January 6 Capitol riot, but he did not ultimately vote to convict him in the Senate impeachment trial. Later, despite years of bad blood between the two men, McConnell backed Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

Gerth argued that even Trump’s attacks on McConnell’s wife, former Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, did not stop the senator from falling back in line when it mattered politically.

That, the columnist suggested, will be part of the record McConnell cannot escape.

Still, the piece was not written as a one-note hit job. Gerth acknowledged that McConnell’s career included real wins, especially for Kentucky.

He credited the senator with delivering federal funding to his home state, supporting Louisville projects and at times defending free speech, including the controversial right to burn the American flag.

For decades, McConnell was a master of the Senate, a political operator with unmatched discipline and a cold understanding of power. He knew the rules, knew the pressure points and knew how to win.

But Gerth argued that none of those accomplishments will matter in the end.

In the columnist’s view, McConnell’s defining legacy will be the conservative capture of the Supreme Court, the hardball tactics that reshaped Washington and his willingness to support Trump even after publicly condemning him.

The column comes as McConnell is nearing the end of his extraordinary Senate run. He is not seeking re-election this November, closing the door on a career that made him one of the longest-serving and most influential senators in American history.

For supporters, McConnell was a disciplined conservative tactician who helped build a Republican judiciary, blocked Democratic priorities and delivered for Kentucky.

For critics, he was the ultimate Washington power broker — ruthless, calculating and willing to bend norms until they broke.

Now, as questions swirl about his health and his public absence grows more noticeable, even his hometown press is no longer waiting to render judgment.

McConnell may still be recovering, and he may still intend to finish his term.

But in Louisville, the political autopsy has already begun.