Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, the favorite for his state’s Democratic Senate nomination said Sunday that he had a...
Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, the favorite for his state’s Democratic Senate nominationsaid Sunday that he had a stroke on Friday and was recovering.
“I had a stroke which was caused by a clot from my heart being in an A-fib rhythm for too long,” he said in a statement. “The amazing doctors here were able to quickly and completely remove the clot, reversing the stroke, they also got my heart under control.”
The Incident kept him out of the campaign trail for the final weekend before Tuesday’s primary election in one of the nation’s most closely watched Senate contests. It was unclear when he would return to the campaign in person.
“The good news is that I feel much better, and the doctors tell me that I have not suffered any cognitive damage,” he said in the statement from Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital. “I am on track for a full recovery.”
“They are keeping me here for observation for now, but I should be out of here soon,” he added.
Understanding the Pennsylvania Primary Election
The crucial swing state will hold its primary on May 17, with key races for a U.S. Senate seat and the governorship.
Mr. Fetterman was scheduled to hold a meet in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, on Friday morning, but his spokesman, Joe Calvello, said at the time that the team had decided to cancel the event because “John didn’t feel well this morning so we are taking the necessary precautions.
The campaign canceled statewide events Friday night, Saturday morning and again Sunday, but offered little information about Mr. Fetterman’s condition over the weekend. Asked why the campaign waited days to share the news that a major Senate candidate had been hospitalized with a stroke, a matter of intense public interest, Mr. Calvello replied: “The state of John had been evolving in real time since Friday. We wanted to post something once we had a clearer picture of his health.
In the statement and in a short accompanying videoMr Fetterman said he was not feeling well and his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, insisted he go to hospital for a check-up.
The development has upended its ability to engage voters in person during the most intense part of the race. Still, he led his most prominent Democratic rival, Rep. Conor Lamb, by double digits in rare public polls.
‘I just learned on live television that Lieutenant Governor Fetterman has suffered a stroke,’ Mr Lamb said. wrote on Twitter. Referring to his wife, he continued: “Hayley and I keep John and his family in our prayers and wish him a full and speedy recovery.”
State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, candidate for the Philadelphia Senate, says his “Prayers are with him and his family as he recovers from this stroke. I look forward to seeing him back on the campaign trail soon.
And Mehmet Oz, the famous doctor and Republican candidate for the Senate, said he had “treated patients with atrial fibrillation and witnessed the miracles of modern medicine in the treatment of strokes.”
“I am grateful that you received care so quickly,” he said. “My whole family is praying for your speedy recovery.”
Understanding the 2022 midterm elections
Why are these milestones so important? This year’s races could tip the balance of power in Congress toward Republicans, hampering President Biden’s agenda for the second half of his term. They will also test former President Donald J. Trump’s role as a GOP kingmaker. Here’s what you need to know:
Throughout the campaign, Mr. Fetterman’s outspoken liberal politics and his penchant for wearing shorts and hoodies at public events appear to have resonated with much of the Democratic base.
“If anyone thinks I’m smarter if I’m in costume, so be it,” Mr Fetterman said in an interview on Thursday after an event in his hometown of York where he gave a speech. energetic and worked a crowded bar. “I’d rather people know what they’re getting and that’s who I am.”
Senator Ben Ray Luján, a Democrat from New Mexico, had a stroke earlier this year and talked on his difficult road to recovery. It was not immediately clear what Mr. Fetterman’s rehabilitation process would look like.
“The doctors have assured me that I will be able to get back on track, but first I have to take a minute, rest and recover,” he said.
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