Minnesota Republican Senate nominee Jason Lewis underwent a successful surgery after being rushed to the hospital on Monday.
The 65-year-old candidate was taken into surgery in the morning for “a severe internal hernia” after he went to the hospital with “severe abdominal pain,” Lewis’s campaign manager Tom Szymanski announced in a press release posted on Twitter Monday. The candidate previously served one term in the House, representing Minnesota’s 2nd Congressional District from 2017 to 2019.
“Early this morning, Congressman Lewis was rushed to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain,” the statement read. “Following tests and examination, doctors determined that he is suffering from a severe internal hernia, a diagnosis which they indicated is life-threatening if not treated quickly. As such, Congressman Lewis was rushed into emergency surgery which he is now undergoing.”
“Prior to being taken to the operating room, Jason was in good spirits, optimistic, and true to form, he was speculating about when he could resume campaigning, eager to continue fighting for his fellow Minnesotans,” Szymanski added.
Hours later, after the operation, Szymanski said the Lewis’s surgery was “successful and minimally invasive.”
“Provided that his recovery continues on a positive trajectory, doctors anticipate that he is likely to be released from the hospital in the next couple of days,” Szymanski said in an evening statement.
He added that “nothing will keep Jason Lewis sidelined in his fight to protect Minnesotans from the radical Left’s assault on our police officers, economy, and our Minnesota way of life.”
Lewis is running against the incumbent, Democratic Sen. Tina Smith. Smith was appointed to the seat in 2017 following Sen. Al Franken’s resignation amid allegations of sexual misconduct. She defeated Republican nominee Karin Housley, a state senator, in the special election.
Smith has been leading Lewis in the polls. A RealClearPolitics average of statewide polls shows Smith ahead of Lewis by a 5.8-point margin.
