Sen. Chris Murphy Hospitalized After a Stroke; His Office Says He Is Awake, Alert and Expected to Make a Full Recovery
The 53-year-old Connecticut Democrat felt numbness in his arm at his son's hockey game on Saturday. He was transferred to Johns Hopkins, is responding well to treatment, and his doctors are encouraged, his chief of staff said Sunday.
Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke, his office announced Sunday — a health scare two days before the midterm elections for one of the Democratic Party's most visible national voices.
Murphy, 53, began experiencing numbness in his arm on Saturday afternoon while attending his son's hockey game, his chief of staff, Allison Herwitt, said in a statement. He was taken to a local hospital, where doctors determined he had experienced a stroke. He was then transferred to Johns Hopkins for further monitoring and is responding well to treatment.
"The doctors are encouraged by his progress, he is awake and alert, and we are optimistic he will make a full recovery," Herwitt said. Murphy's office released no further detail on the severity of the stroke or how long he is expected to remain hospitalized.
Murphy has served in the Senate since 2013 after representing Connecticut's 5th District in the House. He is a leading Democratic voice on foreign policy and on gun safety — work that dates to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in his state — serves on the Appropriations Committee, and has been a prolific campaign surrogate for Democratic candidates through the midterm cycle. He is not on the ballot this year, and he is viewed as a possible 2028 presidential contender.
The announcement makes Murphy the latest lawmaker to face a serious health crisis this year, and it lands in the final weekend of a campaign in which control of the Senate he serves in is on the line Tuesday.
