Sen. Chris Murphy Hospitalized After Stroke, Chief of Staff Says

Sen. Chris Murphy, the Connecticut Democrat, is in the hospital after suffering a stroke, his chief of staff said in a statement on Sunday, according to ABC News and Reuters.

Allison Herwitt, Murphy’s chief of staff, said the 53-year-old senator started experiencing numbness in his arm on Saturday afternoon while attending his son’s hockey game, ABC News reported. He was taken to a local hospital, where doctors determined he had suffered a stroke, Herwitt said in the statement, according to Reuters.

Sen. Chris Murphy has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke, his chief of staff said in a statement on Sunday.

The 53-year-old Democrat was taken to a hospital on Saturday after he started to feel numbness in his arm while attending his son's hockey game, according to… pic.twitter.com/6Xwy475gOU

— ABC News (@ABC) November 1, 2026

Murphy was then transferred to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore for further monitoring, according to ABC News. “He was transferred to Johns Hopkins for further monitoring and is responding well to treatment,” Herwitt said in the statement, as reported by Connecticut station WFSB. “The doctors are encouraged by his progress, he is awake and alert, and we are optimistic he will make a full recovery.”

WFSB reported that no further details about the senator’s condition or his expected time away from the Capitol were released on Sunday. The statement did not say what type of stroke Murphy suffered or how long he is expected to remain hospitalized.

Connecticut leaders send support

Connecticut’s political leaders quickly responded to the news. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, Murphy’s fellow Connecticut Democrat in the Senate, said in a statement reported by WFSB: “Thinking of my great friend and colleague, Chris Murphy. I know how fiercely he fights and I’m certain I’ll be welcoming him back to the Senate soon.”

Gov. Ned Lamont said he had been with Murphy just two days earlier as the senator urged Connecticut residents to vote on Tuesday, according to WFSB. “Annie and I are keeping him and his family in our prayers,” Lamont said in his statement. “I am sure that he will be walking across the state again very soon, and we will all be cheering him on.”

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said she was with Murphy on Friday evening, when he was “energetically encouraging voters to participate in the upcoming election,” WFSB reported. She said she was “glad to hear that he is doing well.”

Days before the midterms

The news comes two days before the Nov. 3 midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. In the days before his stroke, Murphy had been out encouraging Connecticut residents to vote, according to the statements from Lamont and Bysiewicz reported by WFSB.

Political disagreements aside, a stroke is a serious medical event, and Daily Beltway wishes the senator a full and speedy recovery. ABC News described the situation as a developing story, and Daily Beltway will update readers as Murphy’s office releases more information.

Sources

• ABC News: Sen. Chris Murphy hospitalized after suffering a stroke, chief of staff says
• Reuters via TradingView: Democratic Senator Murphy hospitalized after stroke
• WFSB: Sen. Chris Murphy hospitalized after stroke, chief of staff says
• ABC News on X

Reporting by Daily Beltway.