At 53, Chris Murphy is in hospital after having a stroke, Connecticut office says

Treatment and recovery update

Murphy’s chief of staff, Allison Herwitt, said the senator noticed numbness in his arm during his son’s hockey game on Saturday. He was taken to a local hospital, where doctors determined he had suffered a stroke.

Herwitt said Murphy was then transferred to Johns Hopkins for further monitoring. She reported that he was awake and alert, responding well to treatment, and making progress that encouraged his doctors.

Senate role and political activity

Murphy entered the House in 2006 and won election to the Senate in 2012. He serves on the Appropriations Committee and is a prominent voice on immigration and gun policy.

He has been traveling to support House and Senate candidates as Democrats seek majority control. On Friday, he said he had campaigned in Connecticut for Gov. Ned Lamont; the previous week, he joined Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the Democratic Senate nominee.

Colleagues offer support

Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut called Murphy a close friend and colleague, saying he expected to welcome him back to the Senate soon. Sen. John Fetterman said his family was hoping for a full and speedy recovery.

Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Pete Ricketts also offered prayers. President Donald Trump said he was surprised to hear about Murphy’s stroke.

Other recent Senate strokes

Sens. Ben Ray Luján and Chris Van Hollen had strokes in 2022 and later recovered. Fetterman also suffered a stroke while campaigning that year. Fetterman now uses adaptive technology in the Senate, including live captioning on a phone or tablet. The tool transcribes speech and helps him follow conversations.