Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was attending an event for Senate Democrats in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday night when he reported “feeling lightheaded” and was later brought to George Washington University Hospital for observation.
After leaving the meeting because he was dizzy, Fetterman—who had a serious stroke on May 13, 2022—called a staff member, who got him up and took him to the hospital. “Initial tests did not show evidence of a new stroke, but doctors are running more tests and John is remaining overnight for observation,” Fetterman’s office said in a statement.
BREAKING: Senator John Fetterman has been hospitalized after “feeling lightheaded” during D.C. retreat for Senate Democrats and will remain overnight for observation. pic.twitter.com/fAqmJOPv50
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) February 9, 2023
During the Senate campaign, major issues included Fetterman’s stroke recovery, the possibility of a second stroke, and unaddressed injuries from the initial stroke. Even though it was obvious during the debate and in press interviews that Fetterman’s language processing skills were significantly impaired, his campaign firmly argued that his health was not a concern.
He published a doctor’s note in October stating that he had “no job restrictions and can perform full duty in public office.”
Nevertheless, Fetterman’s health was a major campaign issue since Dr. Mehmet Oz, his Republican opponent, frequently questioned Fetterman’s suitability for the Senate.
In a late October debate with Oz, Fetterman confessed utilizing a closed captioning device to read questions, but he insisted again that he had been open about his health issues and was getting better every day.
During his debate with Oz, his difficulties with auditory processing were clear since he occasionally stumbled over his words and found it difficult to respond to queries.
