Sen. Chris Murphy to Miss Weeks of Senate Votes After Stroke
Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy will miss several weeks of Senate votes as he recovers from a stroke, leaving Democrats a member short when lawmakers return to Washington on Monday.
Murphy, 53, left Johns Hopkins Hospital on Friday, nearly a week after he first noticed symptoms at his son's hockey game. He is now heading to a rehabilitation center to continue his recovery.
His office said his first symptom was numbness in his arm, and Murphy said he called 911 himself after realizing something was wrong.
Doctors Expect a Full Recovery
His chief of staff, Allison Herwitt, first disclosed the stroke on Nov. 1, the day after Murphy was hospitalized. He was taken to a local hospital and then transferred to Johns Hopkins for monitoring, where Herwitt said he was awake, alert and responding to treatment.
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Murphy said Friday that doctors found a small bleed in the thalamus region of his brain. Dr. Jose Suarez, chief of neurosciences critical care at Johns Hopkins, described it as a small hemorrhagic stroke.
Suarez said Murphy has made substantial progress and is expected to make a full recovery if his improvement continues at its current pace.
"The doctors are very encouraged by the progress I've made so far," Murphy said. He explained that he chose several weeks of rehabilitation to give himself the best chance of getting back to work promptly.
The senator thanked his doctors and everyone who reached out to his family, acknowledging how frightening the experience had been for them. He said he would stay in touch with his staff and Senate colleagues remotely, and that his office would keep serving Connecticut residents and working on its legislative priorities.
His statement gave an expected length for his rehabilitation but did not set an exact date for his return to Senate votes.
What His Absence Means on the Floor
The Senate is scheduled to convene at 3 p.m. Eastern on Monday, Nov. 9. The session falls within the current Congress, which runs until Jan. 3, so the new Democratic majority elected Tuesday will not take over until then.
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Republicans currently hold 53 seats. The Democratic bloc holds 47, including two independents who caucus with Democrats. With Murphy out, Democrats would have 46 senators available if every other member shows up.
That gap could matter on nominations and other simple-majority votes, especially if Republicans split or other senators are absent. When the Senate is evenly divided on a vote, the vice president casts the deciding vote.
Republicans can use their current majority to advance nominees as long as their members stay united and show up. On a contested nomination, attendance and defections can decide how much room either party has to maneuver.
Ending debate on most legislation still requires 60 votes in a full Senate. Because Murphy remains a sitting senator during his recovery, that threshold does not change while he is away.
Murphy began his third Senate term in January 2025. He serves on the Appropriations, Foreign Relations, and Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committees. His absence comes at a busy moment, as lawmakers return for the final weeks of a Congress reshaped by Tuesday's results.