Bernie Sanders will participate in the Oct. 15 Democratic presidential primary debate despite canceling campaign events so he can recover from an unexpected heart procedure, campaign officials said Thursday.
The Vermont senator, 78, experienced “chest discomfort” during a campaign event in Las Vegas on Tuesday. Doctors discovered a blockage in an artery and inserted two stents. The campaign has canceled its events until further notice so Sanders can recover, and it postponed its first major Iowa television ad buy that was set to start on Thursday.
“Bernie is up and about. Yesterday, he spent much of the day talking with staff about policies, cracking jokes with the nurses and doctors, and speaking with his family on the phone. His doctors are pleased with his progress, and there has been no need for any additional procedures,” Jane Sanders, the senator’s wife, said in a statement. “We expect Bernie will be discharged and on a plane back to Burlington before the end of the weekend. He’ll take a few days to rest, but he’s ready to get back out there and is looking forward to the October debate.”
“It’s been a long day.”
Bernie Sanders appeared at a Las Vegas event after having surgery to put stents in his heart for chest pain pic.twitter.com/wyDI5NAydb
— Bloomberg TicToc (@tictoc) October 2, 2019
The television ad buy is still postponed, according to CNN. Sanders supporters will continue to campaign for him as the Vermont senator recovers.
Patients who undergo the common procedure that Sanders endured normally return to their regular routines within weeks.
“I have no idea what happened and the particulars of his case, but in and of itself I don’t think it means anything for his ability to exercises and function,” said Dr. Fred Welt, chairman of the American College of Cardiology’s Interventional Committee.
The Democratic debate, hosted by CNN and the New York Times in Ohio, will feature 12 candidates on one debate stage — the largest number of candidates ever on a presidential primary debate stage.
Sanders is the oldest Democratic presidential candidate in the 2020 field, and if elected he would be the oldest president to ever serve in office. President Ronald Reagan, the oldest president ever, was 77 when he left office in 1989.
[Read more: ‘A Future to Believe In’: Bernie Sanders has best 2020 Democratic slogan, survey finds]
