Senator Chris Murphy Leaves Hospital After Stroke, Heads to Rehab

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy has been discharged from Johns Hopkins Hospital after suffering a small stroke, and will spend several weeks at a rehabilitation centre before returning to work, his office announced on Friday.

The 53-year-old Connecticut Democrat will miss the next several weeks of Senate votes as he continues his recovery, but his doctor said he expects a full recovery following rehabilitation.

Murphy, who is in his third term representing Connecticut, was treated at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore after suffering what his physician described as a small haemorrhagic stroke — a bleed in the brain — on Saturday, 31 October.

What happened on 31 October

Murphy began feeling unwell on Saturday afternoon while watching his son’s hockey game, when he felt numbness in his arm. He called 911 out of an abundance of caution and was taken to a local hospital, where doctors found he had experienced a stroke. He was later transferred to Johns Hopkins for further monitoring.

“I was diagnosed with a small bleed in the thalamus region of my brain,” Murphy said in a statement released on Friday upon his discharge.

His chief of staff, Allison Herwitt, said Murphy had been awake and alert throughout his stay and that doctors were encouraged by his progress. His office first disclosed the stroke on Sunday, 1 November.

Dr Jose Suarez, chief of neurosciences critical care at Johns Hopkins, said Murphy had shown tremendous progress during his week in hospital.

“Senator Murphy experienced a small haemorrhagic stroke,” Suarez said. “He has shown tremendous progress, and at the current rate of improvement, we expect that he will make a full recovery following rehabilitation.”

The cause of the stroke has not been made public.

Weeks of rehabilitation ahead

Murphy said he would spend several weeks at a rehabilitation centre after leaving hospital, in order to take his recovery seriously and return to work as quickly as possible. He will work remotely with his staff and colleagues during that time, but no specific date has been given for his return to the Capitol.

The timing matters for the Senate. Congress returns to Washington next week after a month-long recess, heading into the final weeks of the lame-duck session, with federal funding set to expire on 11 December. Murphy will be absent for votes during that stretch, at a moment when the incoming Democratic majority is preparing to take control of the chamber in January.

Murphy was not on the ballot in Tuesday’s midterm elections. He was first elected to the Senate in 2012 and re-elected in 2018 and 2024. He has become one of the chamber’s most prominent voices on gun safety, foreign policy and government oversight, and he was a leading Democratic critic of the administration’s war in Iran during the campaign.

A health scare in a changed Senate

Murphy’s absence comes as the Senate prepares for a change of leadership. Democrats are projected to take control of the chamber in January after their midterm victories, and the new majority will face a crowded agenda in its first weeks, including government funding, the war in Iran and a string of confirmations.

For now, colleagues from both parties have wished Murphy well. His office said he was grateful to the staff at Johns Hopkins who treated him, and to the first responders who took him to hospital on the day of the stroke.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened to Senator Chris Murphy?

Senator Chris Murphy, a 53-year-old Democrat from Connecticut, suffered a small haemorrhagic stroke — a bleed in the thalamus region of his brain — on Saturday, 31 October, while watching his son’s hockey game. He felt numbness in his arm and called 911.

Has he been discharged from hospital?

Yes. Murphy was discharged from The Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore on Friday, 6 November. He will spend several weeks at a rehabilitation centre, and his doctor expects a full recovery following rehabilitation.

Will he miss Senate votes?

Yes. Murphy will miss the next several weeks of Senate votes while he recovers. He will work remotely with his staff and colleagues, but his office has not given a specific date for his return.

What caused the stroke?

The cause has not been made public. His physician described it as a small haemorrhagic stroke, a type caused by bleeding in the brain rather than a blockage.