Sen. Chris Murphy hospitalized with stroke and expected to make full recovery, his team says
By Alison Main, CNN
(CNN) — Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy has been hospitalized after experiencing a stroke and is expected to make a full recovery, his team announced Sunday.
The 53-year-old experienced “numbness in his arm” on Saturday afternoon and was taken to a local hospital, where doctors determined he suffered a stroke, according to a statement from his office.
He is at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and “the doctors are encouraged by his progress, he is awake and alert, and we are optimistic he will make a full recovery,” wrote his chief of staff, Allison Herwitt.
Murphy has served in the Senate since 2013, and previously represented Connecticut’s 5th Congressional District in the House of Representatives.
The Connecticut Democrat has emerged as a top progressive voice in Congress, championing causes such as affordable healthcare and gun safety, and his name has been floated as possibly joining a broad 2028 presidential primary field.
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is blocked or when a blood vessel in the brain bleeds. Immediate treatment can reduce the risk of brain damage or other complications.
Stroke is among the top causes of death in the United States. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity and diabetes are leading causes of stroke, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms can include trouble speaking or understanding others; numbness, weakness or paralysis in the face, arm or leg; problems seeing with one or both eyes; headache; and trouble walking.
Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke during his 2022 campaign, said he hoped Murphy would enjoy “a full and speedy recovery.”
“As someone who survived a near-fatal stroke, I understand all too well how much this impacts your life,” Fetterman wrote in a post on X on Sunday.
President Donald Trump, a frequent target of Murphy’s criticism, told reporters he was “surprised” by the news and would consider reaching out to the senator “at the right time.”
“At the right time, I would. Certainly we don’t like to hear a thing like that,” he said as he arrived in Iowa on Sunday. “I just heard about it inside, and he’s a pretty young guy, so I was a little surprised to hear it. No, nobody wants to have that.”
This story has been updated with additional information.
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CNN’s Jamie Gumbrecht contributed to this report.
