Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, one of the most influential figures in Washington, has been hospitalised after tripping and falling at a hotel in the US capital on Wednesday, his spokesperson said.

McConnell, who is 81 and was first elected to the Senate in 1984, “tripped at a local hotel during a private dinner. He has been admitted to the hospital where he is receiving treatment”, his spokesperson said early on Thursday.

Representatives for McConnell did not respond to a request for additional comment. US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, a Democrat, said on Thursday he spoke with McConnell’s staff on Thursday morning and that the Kentucky senator was still recovering in the hospital.

McConnell’s legislative skills have torpedoed many Democratic initiatives over the years, both when his party held a majority in the chamber and when Democrats have held the edge, as they currently do.

McConnell has long been criticised by Democrats, particularly for his tactics that allowed Republicans to build a 6-3 conservative majority on the US Supreme Court, including having the Senate refuse to consider a 2016 nomination to the high court by then-President Barack Obama.