Pennsylvania Dem Unable To Speak Fluidly Months After Stroke, Report Says

Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman is unable to speak fluidly two months after suffering a near-fatal stroke that cut off oxygen to his brain, according to the Washington Post.

The report is the latest indication that the Pennsylvania lieutenant governor’s stroke was far more serious than he let on. The progressive Democrat has been off the trail since he was admitted to the hospital on May 13. Fetterman said days after the stroke that he was on the way to a “full recovery” and that he would be back to campaigning “sometime soon.” But medical experts who reviewed Fetterman’s symptoms and treatment—which included the installation of a pacemaker and defibrillator—said the stroke nearly killed him. One doctor said Fetterman was at risk of “sudden cardiac death.”

Democratic Party officials are reportedly “very nervous” that Fetterman’s health status will prove a liability in November, when he will face Republican nominee Mehmet Oz. Some Pennsylvania Democrats have gone as far as exploring options to remove Fetterman from the ballot should he be unable to resume campaigning. – READ MORE