Sen. Chris Murphy hospitalized after stroke at son's hockey game

Mixed · 2Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat, had a stroke on Saturday 31 October and was hospitalized, his office said on Sunday. 1 2 Left · 2According to a statement from chief of staff Allison Herwitt, Murphy began to feel numbness in his arm on Saturday afternoon while at his son's hockey game, and was taken to a local hospital, where doctors found he had had a stroke. 3 1 Mixed · 2He was then transferred to Johns Hopkins (in Maryland, per the New York Post) for further monitoring. 3 2

Mixed · 2The statement says Murphy is responding well to treatment, is awake and alert, that doctors are encouraged by his progress, and that the office is optimistic he will make a full recovery. 1 2 Centre · 1BNO News adds that the office did not specify the type of stroke, the treatment he received or when he might be discharged, and places Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. 4 Left · 2Murphy is 53 and has represented Connecticut in the Senate since 2013, after three years in the House; Raw Story calls him one of President Donald Trump's most vocal critics in Congress. 1 3

Mixed · 2CBS News and the New York Post describe him as a possible 2028 presidential contender who had been travelling the country campaigning for Democrats in the midterm elections; the Post adds that he was expected in New Hampshire on Sunday. 1 2 Left · 1NBC News adds that Murphy was due to campaign in New Hampshire on Sunday alongside Rep. Chris Pappas, the Democratic Senate nominee, that on Thursday he had called the president's plan to potentially resume the war with Iran after the midterms "insane", and that earlier this fall his office was one of over a dozen to receive letters containing suspicious substances. 5 Centre · 1The AP, carried by Hindustan Times, says Murphy was elected to the House in 2006 and the Senate in 2012, is not on the ballot on Tuesday, sits on the Appropriations Committee, is a leading voice on immigration and gun restrictions, and is seen as a contender for more senior Senate leadership posts as well as a potential 2028 presidential candidate. 6

Mixed · 2Three other Senate Democrats have had strokes in recent years: Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland in 2022, both since recovered, and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania, who had one while campaigning that year and now uses adaptive technology such as live captioning in the Senate. 6 7 Centre · 1Fetterman said on social media on Sunday that his family "is rooting for Chris and his family for a full and speedy recovery", and several Republican senators, including Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, offered prayers. 6 Left · 1Al Jazeera reports that President Donald Trump said he was "really surprised" to learn of the stroke, adding that "nobody wants to have that". 8

Centre · 2Newsweek and Anadolu place Trump's remarks on Sunday: Newsweek says he spoke to reporters after landing in Dubuque, Iowa, for a campaign rally, while Anadolu quotes him asking "How bad is it?" and saying "He's a young guy." 9 10 Centre · 1Newsweek adds that Murphy had said at a Middle East Institute event that the plan was "insane", and cites the Wall Street Journal as reporting that the White House briefed Gulf allies on a possible "short, intense military campaign" against Iran as soon as 4 November; Newsweek said it had asked the White House and Pentagon for comment. 9 Centre · 1Newsweek also reports that Murphy had recently campaigned in Connecticut for Gov. Ned Lamont and in Minnesota with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, and that Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal called him a "great friend & colleague" and said he was certain of welcoming him back to the Senate soon. 9

Right · 1Just the News notes that no details on the severity of the stroke or a timeline for his return to work were immediately available. 11 Left · 1Al Jazeera also notes Murphy sits on the Senate appropriations and foreign relations committees, toured the Middle East in October, and has pledged that Democrats would withhold funding for the Iran war if they win the Senate on Tuesday. 8