Murphy campaigns across country as Democrats fight for Senate control

Murphy’s final campaign stretch included Connecticut, Minnesota and the Middle East

Sen. Chris Murphy traveled the country in the closing campaign period to support House and Senate candidates as Democrats raced for majority control in the Senate, according to The Associated Press. On Friday, Murphy posted that he had been campaigning in his home state for Gov. Ned Lamont, and last week he posted from Minnesota while campaigning with Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, the Democratic nominee for Senate. Murphy was not on Tuesday’s ballot.

The final sprint before Election Day capped Murphy’s whirlwind trip to the Middle East at the start of October, for meetings with several leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In early September, Murphy completed his annual “walk across Connecticut,” covering about 70 miles over four days and talking with residents about their concerns along the way.

Murphy was elected to the House in 2006 and to the Senate in 2012. In the Senate, he serves on the Appropriations Committee and is a leading voice on immigration and gun policy. He is considered a contender for more senior Senate leadership positions and among the many Democrats seen as potential 2028 candidates for the White House.

His office said Sunday that the 53-year-old senator was in the hospital after having a stroke and was “awake and alert” as he received treatment. Allison Herwitt, Murphy’s chief of staff, said Murphy “started experiencing numbness in his arm while at his son’s hockey game” Saturday. “He was taken to a local hospital, where it was discovered he had experienced a stroke,” she said. “He was transferred to Johns Hopkins for further monitoring and is responding well to treatment. The doctors are encouraged by his progress, he is awake and alert, and we are optimistic he will make a full recovery.”

Three other Senate Democrats have had strokes in recent years. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland had strokes in 2022 and have since recovered. Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman had a stroke while campaigning for his seat that same year and now uses adaptive technology in the Senate, including live captioning on a phone or tablet that transcribes words as people speak to him and helps him process the conversation.

Fetterman said on social media Sunday that his family “is rooting for Chris and his family for a full and speedy recovery.”

Several Republican senators, including Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Pete Ricketts of Nebraska, also offered prayers for Murphy. President Donald Trump said he was “really surprised” to learn about Murphy’s stroke. “Nobody wants to have that,” he said.

“Thinking of my great friend & colleague, Chris Murphy,” wrote Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., in a statement Sunday. “I know how fiercely he fights & I’m certain I’ll be welcoming him back to the Senate soon.”