Rep. Mark DeSaulnier is in critical condition after being hospitalized for pneumonia.
The California Democrat’s office said DeSaulnier, 67, was admitted to a Washington, D.C.-area hospital earlier in the week due to complications from a rib fracture that he suffered in a running accident.
“Unfortunately, Congressman DeSaulnier’s condition has deteriorated and he is in critical condition,” Betsy Arnold Marr, DeSaulnier’s chief of staff, said in a statement. “The doctors are doing everything they can to care for the Congressman. Mark’s family and staff appreciate your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time.”
Marr also said DeSaulnier tested negative for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
DeSaulnier’s district, across the bay from San Francisco, includes most of Contra Costa County. He’s a veteran officeholder, having been a county supervisor and state legislator before winning the congressional seat, held previously by Democratic Rep. George Miller for 40 years.
DeSaulnier is an ally of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat who is a de facto leader of the Bay Area delegation in Congress. In the House, he’s pushed legislation to combat fake social media accounts, known as bots.
This is not DeSaulnier’s first health scare since coming to Washington. In May 2016, he announced that the prior summer he was diagnosed, and successfully treated for, a common form of leukemia.
