Senator Chris Murphy Hospitalized After Stroke at Son's Hockey Game

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut was hospitalized after suffering a stroke while attending his son's hockey game on Saturday.

Murphy, 53, began experiencing numbness in his arm at the game on Halloween. He was taken to a local hospital where doctors determined he had had a stroke. He was later transferred to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for monitoring and treatment.

Chief of staff Allison Herwitt said in a statement that the doctors are encouraged by his progress, he is awake and alert, and the office is optimistic he will make a full recovery. A spokesman declined to provide further medical details on Sunday.

Murphy has served in the Senate since 2013 after six years in the House. He has been viewed as a potential 2028 presidential candidate and spent recent weeks campaigning for Democratic candidates in competitive midterm races, including stops in Michigan, Minnesota, Florida and North Carolina. He had been scheduled to appear with candidates in New Hampshire on Sunday.

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont noted that he had been with Murphy two days earlier encouraging residents to vote. Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz said she saw him Friday evening energetically urging participation in Tuesday's election. Both wished him a speedy recovery.

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke during his 2022 campaign, wrote that his family is rooting for Murphy and his family for a full and speedy recovery. Other senators, including Chris Van Hollen and Ben Ray Luján, have also experienced strokes in recent years and recovered. President Donald Trump said he was surprised by the news and would consider reaching out at the right time.

Symptoms of stroke can include sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, trouble speaking, vision problems, severe headache and difficulty walking. Murphy's office said he is responding well to treatment. The timing, two days before midterm elections in which he had been actively campaigning, removes one of the party's more visible surrogates from the final push.

No further public updates on his condition had been released by late Sunday. The hospital has not commented. Murphy is not on the ballot Tuesday. His absence from scheduled events in New Hampshire leaves those candidates without one planned appearance.