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Bernie Sanders cancels events after undergoing heart procedure Bernie Sanders cancels events after undergoing heart procedure
(31 minutes later)
Bernie Sanders has had heart procedure for an artery blockage and is canceling events until further notice, according to his campaign office. Bernie Sanders has undergone a heart procedure for an artery blockage and is canceling events until further notice, according to his campaign office.
Sanders, 78, a Vermont senator and a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, was hospitalized in Nevada on Tuesday night.
The Democratic 2020 frontrunners are too old. And I say that as an old man myself | Art CullenThe Democratic 2020 frontrunners are too old. And I say that as an old man myself | Art Cullen
Sanders, 78, a Vermont senator and one of the most prominent 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, was hospitalised in Nevada on Tuesday night. “During a campaign event yesterday evening, Senator Sanders experienced some chest discomfort,” Sanders’ senior adviser Jeff Weaver said in a statement on Wednesday. “Following medical evaluation and testing he was found to have a blockage in one artery and two stents were successfully inserted.”
“During a campaign event yesterday evening, Senator Sanders experienced some chest discomfort. Following medical evaluation and testing he was found to have a blockage in one artery and two stents were successfully inserted,” Sanders’ senior adviser Jeff Weaver on Wednesday in a statement, ABC reported.
“Senator Sanders is conversing and in good spirits. He will be resting up over the next few days,” Weaver added. “We are canceling his events and appearances until further notice, and we will continue to provide appropriate updates.”“Senator Sanders is conversing and in good spirits. He will be resting up over the next few days,” Weaver added. “We are canceling his events and appearances until further notice, and we will continue to provide appropriate updates.”
More details soon His wife, Jane O’Meara Sanders, was on her way to Las Vegas on Wednesday morning, and according to the Associated Press, said her husband was “doing really well”.
Sanders was among 10 presidential candidates due to appear at a presidential forum on gun safety in Las Vegas on Wednesday. He will no longer attend.
Following a noticeably hoarse performance during the third televised presidential debate last month, Sanders canceled a handful of events in South Carolina to rest his voice. He attributed his lost voice to “giving too many speeches lately” and his campaign insisted the senator was not sick.
If elected, Sanders would be the oldest president to serve. He is also the oldest candidate in the 19-person Democratic field, and is three years older than Donald Trump.
Asked about his age, the Vermont senator has said he considers himself “blessed” with “good health” and “good energy”. He points to his athleticism, running long distance when he was younger.
“Judge a person on whether you like them, whether their ideas make sense, whether you think they can do the job,” Sanders told CBS News in his first interview after entering the race. “I think that’s how we should look at people running for office, not just on one criteria, about age.”
His aides have said age-related concerns amount to “ageism” and dare critics to try to keep pace with the senator on the campaign trail. Sanders keeps a notoriously rigorous schedule, often packing multiple events in different cities into a single day.
The age of the party’s top frontrunners – all of whom are septuagenarians – has been a subtext of the campaign, with younger candidates making the case of a new generation of leadership.
The former vice-president Joe Biden’s tendency to deliver rambling, sometimes-discordant responses during speeches and debate performances has raised questions about his acuity by other candidates and voters. He is 76.
The Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren, 70, has received the least age-related scrutiny, perhaps due to her sharp delivery and frequent displays of agility. At campaign events, the senator typically jogs on to the stage, and a video of her sprinting through New York’s Penn Station to catch a train went viral earlier this year.
News of Sanders’ procedure comes after his campaign announced one of the strongest fundraising totals of the quarter. Sanders raised $25m, the highest among any candidate who have reported their figures so far.
The haul was a welcome reset after a long summer of losing ground to Warren, who has passed him as the progressive alternative to Biden. Sanders has dropped to third place in most national and state-level polls behind Biden and Warren and his campaign has started to reshuffle staff in an effort to reclaim his standing.
Sanders’ Democratic rivals were quick to respond to the news, wishing him a speedy recovery.
“Anyone who knows Bernie understands what a force he is,” Biden wrote on Twitter. “We are confident that he will have a full and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him on the trail soon.”
.@DrBiden and I are sending our best wishes to @BernieSanders, Jane, and the whole Sanders family. Anyone who knows Bernie understands what a force he is. We are confident that he will have a full and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him on the trail soon.
“I hope to see my friend back on the trail very soon,” Warren said.
Bruce, Team Warren, and I are sending all our best wishes for a speedy recovery to @BernieSanders. I hope to see my friend back on the campaign trail very soon.
“He’s a fighter,” Harris added. “I look forward to seeing him on the campaign trail soon.”
Thinking of @BernieSanders today and wishing him a speedy recovery. If there's one thing I know about him, he's a fighter and I look forward to seeing him on the campaign trail soon.
The procedure Sanders underwent can immediately improve symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath. The stents are threaded into place through blood vessels in the groin or wrist, requiring only a tiny incision. Most are coated with medication to prevent the targeted artery from reclosing. That is still a risk, requiring monitoring, and patients also often are prescribed blood thinners to prevent clots from forming in the stents.
A letter released by his physician when he ran for president in 2016 showed that he was in “overall very good health” with elevated cholesterol but no history of cardiovascular disease. Sanders has said he will release his medical records before the primary begins next year.
Bernie SandersBernie Sanders
US politicsUS politics
DemocratsDemocrats
US elections 2020US elections 2020
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