Sen. Chris Murphy Finally Goes Home After Stroke Scare — But Senate Won't See Him for Weeks
Six days after collapsing with numbness at his son's hockey game, Connecticut's junior senator left the hospital Friday. His doctor says he'll make a full recovery — just not fast enough to vote any time soon.
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., was released from Johns Hopkins Hospital on Friday, nearly a week after suffering a stroke that sent his office scrambling and drew well-wishes from across the political aisle.
Murphy, 53, said he called 911 after sensing something was wrong on the Saturday before his release. His office said it started with numbness in his arm while he was at his son's hockey game; he was taken to a local Connecticut hospital, where doctors determined he'd had a stroke, before he was transferred to Johns Hopkins in Baltimore for specialized care.
A small bleed, a big scare
Doctors determined Murphy suffered a small hemorrhagic stroke — a bleed in the thalamus, the part of the brain that relays sensory information. Dr. Jose Suarez, chief of neurosciences critical care at Johns Hopkins, said the senator has made significant progress since being admitted.
"WE EXPECT THAT HE WILL MAKE A FULL RECOVERY FOLLOWING REHABILITATION."
Murphy's office said he'll spend the next several weeks at a rehabilitation facility working to get back to full strength, and that he plans to stay in touch with his staff and Senate colleagues remotely in the meantime. His legislative office and constituent services are continuing to operate, the statement said, while the senator asked for continued respect for his family's privacy.
A missed vote, a tight chamber
Murphy isn't on the ballot this cycle, so his health scare carries no direct electoral stakes. But with him sidelined for "several weeks of votes," as his office put it, every absence matters more in a chamber that just flipped to Democratic control in Tuesday's midterms.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and fellow Sen. Richard Blumenthal both offered public support after Murphy's initial hospitalization, with Blumenthal saying he expected to welcome his colleague back to the Senate floor soon. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, who suffered his own stroke in 2022, also wished Murphy a full and speedy recovery — a reminder that Murphy is hardly the first senator to navigate a return to Capitol Hill after a health crisis, and, if Fetterman's experience is any guide, likely won't be rushed back before he's ready.