Sen. Chris Murphy Hospitalized After Stroke
Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, was hospitalized Saturday after experiencing a stroke while attending his son’s hockey game, his office announced Sunday. Chief of staff Allison Herwitt said Murphy began feeling numbness in his arm and was taken to a local hospital.
Doctors determined that he had suffered a stroke and transferred him to Johns Hopkins for further monitoring. Herwitt said Murphy is awake and alert and is responding well to treatment. She said his doctors are encouraged by his progress and that his office is optimistic he will make a full recovery.
Murphy’s hospitalization comes as he has been campaigning for Democratic candidates ahead of Tuesday’s elections. Although he is not on the ballot, he has recently made stops in Michigan, Minnesota and Florida. He was scheduled to campaign Sunday in New Hampshire with Rep. Chris Pappas, a Democratic Senate candidate. His office did not announce whether that appearance would proceed.
Murphy, 53, has served in the Senate since 2013, following six years in the House of Representatives. He gained national attention for advocating stricter gun laws after the Sandy Hook school shooting in his home state. He has also criticized President Donald Trump, opposed the war in Iran and challenged the administration’s deportation policies. A Democratic fundraiser, Murphy has been discussed as a possible presidential candidate in 2028.
Several other senators have suffered strokes in recent years. Democratic Sens. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland both had strokes in 2022. Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania suffered one that year while running for the Senate.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut’s other Democratic senator, expressed support for Murphy in a Sunday post on X. Herwitt’s statement did not give a timetable for Murphy’s discharge from the hospital or his return to Senate duties.