Senate Recovery: Chris Murphy Discharged After Stroke

Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy is out of the hospital and moving to a rehabilitation facility. He suffered a stroke on October 31 and expects to miss several weeks of Senate votes while he recovers.

Murphy, 53, called 911 that Saturday because he felt something was not right. Doctors diagnosed him with a small hemorrhagic stroke, a specific type of bleed in the brain. He said he acted out of an abundance of caution given his prior health history.

Dr. Jose Suarez, chief of neurosciences critical care at Johns Hopkins Hospital, issued a statement on Friday. Suarez said the senator has made tremendous progress and that medical staff expect a full recovery following rehabilitation.

Murphy described the experience as scary for him and his family. He thanked the Johns Hopkins team for their care and noted that he is staying engaged with his office remotely. His staff is ensuring his work continues without interruption while he is away from Washington.

The stroke occurred during a busy campaign season. Murphy had been traveling the country to support Democratic candidates. He was in Minnesota with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan the week before his stroke and in Connecticut for Gov. Ned Lamont the day before.

Democrats secured majority control in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Lamont won reelection, and Flanagan became the first Native American female U.S. senator. Murphy’s absence will not prevent the new majority from holding votes, as he plans to return to the floor after his rehab stay.

Three other Senate Democrats have had strokes in recent years. Sens. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland had strokes in 2022 and have recovered. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman had a stroke while campaigning in 2022 and now uses adaptive technology, including live captioning, to follow debates on the Senate floor. Fetterman said on social media that his family is rooting for a speedy recovery for Murphy.