WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Chris Murphy is in the hospital after having a stroke and is “awake and alert” as he receives treatment, the Connecticut Democrat’s office said Sunday. Murphy’s chief of staff, Allison Herwitt, said in a statement the 53-year-old senator “started experiencing numbness in his arm while at his son’s hockey game” on Saturday. “He was taken to a local hospital, where it was discovered he had experienced a stroke,” she said. “He was 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.” Murphy was elected to the House in 2006 and to the Senate in 2012. He is not on the ballot Tuesday. In the Senate, he serves on the Appropriations Committee and is a leading voice on immigration and gun policy. He is considered a contender for more senior leadership positions in the Senate and among the many Democrats seen as potential 2028 candidates for the White House. 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 since recovered. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman had a stroke while campaigning for his seat that same year and now uses adaptive technology in the Senate, including live captioning on a phone or tablet that transcribes words as people speak to him and helps him process the conversation. Fetterman said on social media Sunday that his family “is rooting for Chris and his family for a full and speedy recovery.” Several Republican senators, including Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, also offered prayers for Murphy. President Donald Trump said he was “really surprised” to learn about Murphy’s stroke. “Nobody wants to have that,” he said. Murphy has been traveling the country in support of House and Senate candidates as his party races for majority control. On Friday, he posted that he had been campaigning in his home state for Gov. Ned Lamont. Last week, Murphy posted from Minnesota campaigning with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the Democratic nominee for Senate. The final sprint before Election Day capped Murphy’s whirlwind trip to the Middle East at the start of October for meetings with several leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In early September, Murphy completed his annual “walk across Connecticut,” covering about 70 miles over four days, talking with residents about their concerns along the way. “Thinking of my great friend & colleague, Chris Murphy,” wrote Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in a statement Sunday. “I know how fiercely he fights & I’m certain I’ll be welcoming him back to the Senate soon.” ___ Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report. Steven Sloan, The Associated Press
