Senator Christopher S. Murphy, Democrat of Connecticut, was hospitalized on Saturday after suffering a stroke, according to his chief of staff, Allison Herwitt. Herwitt said Murphy, 53, was attending his son’s hockey game that afternoon when he began experiencing numbness in his arm. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors diagnosed a stroke, and was then transferred to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for monitoring and treatment.
Herwitt said doctors were encouraged by his progress and that Murphy was awake and alert. She added that the office was optimistic he would make a full recovery. A spokesman for Murphy would not provide further details about his condition on Sunday.
Murphy became a senator in 2013 and has been viewed as a potential candidate for president in 2028. He has spent the past several weeks campaigning with Democrats as the party tries to take control of Congress in the midterm elections. He had been scheduled to help campaign in New Hampshire on Sunday.
Murphy is one of several senators to experience significant public health issues in recent years, a period in which the health of politicians has received greater scrutiny. In July, Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, died suddenly from an aortic dissection, a tear in the body’s main artery.
At least two of Murphy’s colleagues have had strokes in recent years. Senator Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, experienced what he described as a minor stroke in 2022. Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, had a near-fatal stroke that same year while he was campaigning for election.
Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the former majority leader, was gone from the Capitol and out of public view for more than three months earlier this year after a health incident at his home. McConnell has also appeared to experience medical issues at the Capitol and in Kentucky, freezing during appearances and needing to be escorted away by his aides.
Sources: The New York Times Politics.