Pennsylvania Senate candidate Fetterman hospitalized with stroke

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is recovering from a stroke he suffered on Friday, his campaign announced on Sunday.

“I had a stroke that was caused by a clot from my heart being in an A-fib rhythm for too long,” he said in a statement released from Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital. Fetterman also released a video from his hospital room.

Fetterman is two days away from facing the voters in the state’s U.S. Senate primary. He is the favorite to win the Democratic nomination on Tuesday; other candidates in the race include U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.

Crediting his wife, Fetterman said he was on the road to recovery.

“Fortunately, Gisele spotted the symptoms and got me to the hospital within minutes,” he said in the statement. “The amazing doctors here were able to quickly and completely remove the clot, reversing the stroke; they got my heart under control as well.”

Fetterman said he had no “cognitive damage” and was being kept in the hospital “for observation.”

“The doctors have assured me that I’ll be able to get back on the trail, but first I need to take a minute, get some rest, and recover,” he said.

Lamb wished Fetterman well on Twitter.

“I just found out on live TV that Lieutenant Governor Fetterman suffered a stroke,” he wrote. “Hayley and I are keeping John and his family in our prayers and wishing him a full and speedy recovery.”

The Senate seat, now held by retiring Sen. Pat Toomey, is seen as one of the top opportunities for Democrats to gain a seat in the 2022 midterms. The Republican primary is considered to be a three-way battle between conservative commentator Kathy Barnette, former hedge fund CEO David McCormick and physician-TV personality Mehmet Oz.