U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Sunday that he suffered a stroke while delivering a speech this week. He said he is currently hospitalized, but he said he has been informed there are “no long-term effects or damage as a result of this incident.”
In the statement on Sunday, Van Hollen said he was delivering a speech in western Maryland when he experienced “light-headedness and acute neck pain.” He said he sought medical attention upon his return home and was admitted to George Washington Hospital.
He said an angiogram indicated he suffered a “minor stroke in the form of a small venous tear at the back of my head.” He said he would remain under observation for the next few days “out of an abundance of caution.”
Van Hollen is up for reelection this year, and he faces one Democratic challenger in the state’s primary in July. Ten Republicans are vying to take him on.
Tom Williams / AP
Van Hollen’s announcement came on the same day that Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, who is running for Senate in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, said he is recovering after suffering a stroke on Friday. Fetterman said he is still in the hospital under observation after doctors removed a clot around his heart, reversing the stroke and “got my heart under control.” He said doctors told him he didn’t suffer any cognitive damage.
Earlier this year, Sen. Ben Luján of New Mexico underwent surgery after suffering a stroke. He returned to work in March, and told high school students in April that he was “90% recovered.”
