Pennsylvania Senate candidate John Fetterman suffers a stroke ahead of primary

Catherine Garcia, The Week US's avatar
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John Fetterman.
(Image credit: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D), who is also running for the state's Democratic Senate nomination, announced on Sunday that he suffered a stroke on Friday.

"I had a stroke that was caused by a clot from my heart being in an A-fib rhythm for too long," Fetterman said in a 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."

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Fetterman canceled his weekend campaign events, and it's not clear if he will get back on the trail ahead of Tuesday's closely watched primary election. He is the frontrunner in the Democratic race, with limited public polling showing him ahead of another prominent candidate, Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pa.), by double digits, The New York Times reports.

Fetterman's spokesman, Joe Calvello, told reporters on Sunday the campaign did not immediately announce the stroke because "John's condition was evolving in real time since Friday. We wanted to put out something once we've had a clearer picture of his health."

Catherine Garcia, The Week US
Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.