Senator Chris Murphy expected to make full recovery after stroke
The Connecticut Democrat had been campaigning around the country for Democrats on the ballot this midterm election.
Senator Chris Murphy expected to make full recovery after stroke
US Senator Chris Murphy was taken to hospital after suffering a stroke on Saturday, his team has said.
The 53-year-old Connecticut Democrat was at his son's hockey game when he started experiencing "numbness in his arm" and was taken to hospital, his team said in a statement shared with US media. Doctors later determined in hospital that he had suffered a stroke.
"The doctors are encouraged by his progress, he is awake and alert, and we are optimistic he will make a full recovery," his team said.
Murphy, who is not up for re-election in this midterms cycle, has been travelling across the country to campaign in support of fellow Democrats who are on the ballot this year.
The stakes are high for his party, which is seeking to take control of Congress from Republicans, who currently hold the majority in both the House and Senate.
Murphy has been in the Senate since 2013 and previously served in the House of Representatives. The Democrat - who is seen as a possible 2028 White House candidate - has backed progressive causes including affordable health care, international human rights, and gun safety.
He has recently visited Michigan, Minnesota and Florida for campaign events for Democratic candidates on the ballot, and had been due to travel to New Hampshire on Sunday.
Several other Senators have had strokes in recent years, including Maryland Democrat Chris Van Hollen in 2022, New Mexico Democrat Ben Ray Lujan the same year, and Pennsylvania Democrat John Fetterman.
Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, the former majority leader, was away from the Capitol for months earlier this year after a serious fall and a hospital stay.
Fetterman posted his support for Murphy and his family on social media on Sunday.
"As someone who survived a near-fatal stroke, I understand all too well how much this impacts your life," Fetterman wrote on X. "My family is rooting for Chris and his family for a full and speedy recovery."