WASHINGTON, D.C. — Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy is under care at Johns Hopkins after suffering a stroke over the weekend, and his staff expects him to recover fully, his office said Sunday.
Allison Herwitt, his chief of staff, said in a written statement that the 53-year-old senator first noticed his arm going numb Saturday afternoon while watching one of his children play hockey. He went to a nearby hospital, where doctors found he had had a stroke, and he was later moved to Johns Hopkins so physicians could keep watch on him.
Herwitt said Murphy is awake, alert and responding well to treatment, and that his doctors are pleased with how he is progressing.
The illness comes on the eve of Tuesday’s midterm elections. Murphy has spent recent weeks traveling the country to campaign for fellow Democrats and is often mentioned as a possible 2028 presidential candidate.
He was elected to the Senate in 2013 after three House terms representing Connecticut’s 5th District, and he is known in Washington for pushing gun safety measures and health care access.
Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who had a stroke during his own 2022 campaign, wished Murphy a speedy recovery in a social media post Sunday.
A stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is cut off or a vessel in the brain bleeds. Federal health officials list sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg among the warning signs and say fast treatment can limit brain damage.
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