Almost three months after his brain hemorrhage cast Democratic control of the U.S. Senate into doubt, Sen. Tim Johnson remains in recovery, though with signs of hope, according to his staff and doctors.
“It’s definitely a long process, but he’s improving,” his spokeswoman Julianne Fisher said.
He is doing office “homework” at a rehabilitation clinic and has recently begun co-sponsoring legislation though he still has not cast his first vote in the 110th Congress.
Last December, just weeks before his 60th birthday, the mild-mannered South Dakotan made the biggest national headlines of his political career when he was hospitalized for bleeding in his brain.
The elections the month before had handed Democrats control of the Senate by one seat — a seat which was decided in a race so close that it hung in the balance for several days.
When former Sen. George Allen, R-Va., finally conceded victory to Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va., Democrats on Capitol Hill rejoiced at their stunning upset. Even Democratic leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., had predicted it would take a “miracle” for his party to capture the six seats needed to win the chamber.
The elections gave Democrats a not-so-comfortable 51-49 seat advantage over Republicans. It was close, but enough to hand Democrats control of the Senate floor and chairmanships of the body’s 20 committees.
But even before Democrats took charge of the new session, all their optimism came crashing down with a telephone conference call Johnson held with reporters. On Dec. 13, while he answered routine questions, he became disoriented and began stammering. After a pause, according to reporters on the phone call, he seemed to recover and promptly ended the call.
Sen. John Thune, Johnson’s Republican seatmate from South Dakota whose office has worked closely with Johnson’s during recovery, said that Johnson is “doing really well.”
Initially, Johnson’s office announced that the two-term senator had suffered a “possible stroke” and immediately a storm of speculation began over what would happen to his seat — and control of the Senate if he couldn’t complete his term.
Under South Dakota law, the state’s Republican governor would pick a replacement. If that replacement were a Republican, senate control would shift to a 50-50 tie. In that case, Vice President Dick Cheney, in his dual role as president of the Senate, would cast the tie-breaking vote to give control to Republicans.
Johnson was taken to George Washington University Hospital and diagnosed with a jumble of constricted vessels in his brain known as congenital arteriovenous malformation, according to Admiral John Eisold, the U.S. Capitol’s attending physician who was briefed on Johnson’s condition. Johnson underwent surgery to relieve pressure from the bleeding and untangle the vessels.
For weeks, a heavily-sedated Johnson remained in critical condition as family gathered around him. So, too, gathered Democratic leaders of the Senate.
At a press conference the day after Johnson’s surgery, Reid briefed reporters on an early bedside visit. “I’m not going to talk about his medical condition,” he said. “I saw him. He looked great.”
Two weeks later, however, Johnson passed his 60th birthday still in the intensive care unit, still under sedation. GWU neurosurgeon Viveck Deshmukh said Johnson’s “overall general medical condition” had improved, but he also shed light on the graveness of the situation. “He is opening his eyes and is responsive to his wife.”
In the nearly three months since, Johnson’s absence from voting in the Senate has caused some anxiety for Democrats trying to maintain their slim majority. But so far, they have not lost any votes because of it.
In February, he was released from the hospital and is doing speech and occupational therapy at an undisclosed rehabilitation clinic, according to his office. Gradually, they said, he’s tackling more office work.
“He’s there,” said Fisher, who said she has not visited him yet. “It’s Tim. He still has his sense of humor.”
Sen. John Thune, Johnson’s Republican seatmate from South Dakota whose office has worked closely with Johnson’s during recovery, said that Johnson is “doing really well.”
In 2002, Thune lost a hard-fought challenge to Johnson by 524 votes. Two years later, Thune won election to the Senate by handily defeating Democratic leader Tom Daschle in one of the most bitter Democratic losses of that election.
But all partisanship has been put aside, said Thune, who testified to Johnson’s survivability.
“He’s a tough guy,” he told The Examiner. “I ran against him. I know that. He’s very resolute and determined.”
Thune deflected questions about 2008, when Johnson faces re-election in a heavily Republican state.
“At this point, everybody is kind of in a holding pattern in terms of the 2008 election campaign,” Thune said. “In South Dakota, people are very patient to see Tim have a full recovery.”
