Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota suffered a possible stroke Wednesday and was taken to a Washington hospital, his office said.
Johnson became disoriented during a call with reporters at midday, stuttering in response to a question. He appeared to recover, asking if there were any additional questions before ending the call.
If he should be unable to continue to serve, it could halt the scheduled Democratic takeover of the Senate. Democrats won a 51-49 majority in the November election. South Dakota’s governor, who would appoint any temporary replacement, is a Republican.
Hopefully he’ll be okay, first of all for human reasons and secondarily for political ones.
UPDATE: The Argus Leader quotes South Dakota’s at-large congresswoman, Stephanie Herseth, as saying she believes it as a “severe stroke.” But other reports say Johnson was conscious when he went to the hospital.
More from Political Wire, The Hotline (which says that any temporary replacement would serve until 2008), TAPPED (which says there’s an ongoing debate about whether that’s true), Althouse (who emphasizes that “in modern history the Senate has never declared a seat vacant as a result of a senator’s physical condition”), The Corner, RedState, Outside the Beltway, Malkin, Kos, TPM, MyDD, Kevin Drum, Wonkette, and two right-leaning South Dakota blogs: Jay Reding and South Dakota Politics. Needless to say, everyone — regardless of party and ideology — says they’re hoping for a speedy recovery, and I’m sure they are.
MAJOR UPDATE: Good news: Sen. Johnson reportedly “is speaking and is expected to be fine.” There are conflicting reports about what happened: his spokesman now says he didn’t have a stroke or a heart attack, but other sources say it was a stroke. A commenter at South Dakota War College (headline: “Possibly not a stroke, but an as yet to be diagnosed illness?”) offers a possible explanation that could help explain those conflicting reports: a Transient Ischemic Attack, which some people might describe as a “stroke” and others might not. But I’m just speculating.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Here’s the latest from Reuters:
Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota underwent surgery on Wednesday, a source said, after suffering what a doctor called “symptoms of a stroke.” The actions prompted concerns about his fellow Democrats’ razor-thin majority in the incoming Senate.
While there was no immediate word on the condition of the 59-year-old senator, the source, who is familiar with Johnson’s situation, said surgeons sought to remedy an unspecified medical problem.
Just hours after Johnson was admitted to George Washington University Hospital, a spokeswoman for him said the senator had not suffered a stroke. She provided no other details.
In a statement later, Johnson’s communications director Julianne Fisher said: “Senator Johnson continues to undergo testing and procedures at George Washington University Hospital. We expect to have more information in the morning.”
John Eisold, attending physician of the U.S. Capitol, issued a statement of his own, saying Johnson was admitted to the hospital “with the symptoms of a stroke.”
South Dakota Politics has more.
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Categories: Election 2006
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December 13th, 2006 at 5:27:44 pm
On average, in any given two-year Congress, something like 3-5 members pass away, and an occasional Senator. I don’t think it has made a difference before, but this Congress could be a bit different.
December 13th, 2006 at 5:34:58 pm
The Rove Machine is back at hard work. First it was the Senator from Missouri, who’s name escapes me now. Then it was Wellstone. I blame Rove!
December 13th, 2006 at 5:39:25 pm
The name is Mel Carnahan — though he won in ‘00, despite (or perhaps because of?) being dead at the time of the election, and his wife took the seat, giving the Dems a 50-50 split, which was briefly a majority while Al Gore was still VP (Jan. 6-20, 2001), then became a majority again once Jim Jeffords defected… a majority which they promptly lost, before it mattered for SCOTUS purposes, in 2002, when Jean Carnahan (and a bunch of other Dems) were voted out of office. (The man who beat her in that ‘02 special election, Jim Talent, just lost last month to Claire McCaskill. Round and round we go.)
Anyway, Carnahan’s posthumous victory in 2000 resulted in the defeat of Senator John Ashcroft, which in turn resulted in Ashcroft becoming Attorney General, which in turn gave the Bush Administration a useful lightning rod to take the brunt of criticism during its first term and partially insulate the likes of Bush, who, while incompetent, isn’t as easy to hate as Ashcroft; and Rumsfeld, who, while he may have bungled a war, never ordered a statue’s boobies covered up. (Actually, neither did Ashcroft, but that’s another story.)
So I guess Rove just had a lot of foresight there.
December 13th, 2006 at 5:47:17 pm
You don’t think the governor of SD would face a huge firestorm of criticism if he/she appointed a Republican?
December 13th, 2006 at 5:51:13 pm
I’d say it would be brush fire more than a firestorm… and I think he’d be exiled from the Republican Party if he appointed a Democrat. :)
December 13th, 2006 at 5:55:36 pm
Let’s all pray for his death.
December 13th, 2006 at 6:03:17 pm
I was actually waiting for Harry Reid to be the one lost - due to his financial ummm ‘dealings’ …
While I will be happy to see Senator Leahy not become chairman of any committee, I would rather it be for reasons that involve earned suffering from unearned income rather than unearned suffering like a stroke …
December 13th, 2006 at 7:13:39 pm
Actually Alasdair Reid was cleared by the House Ethics commitee
December 13th, 2006 at 8:43:23 pm
Brendan is right, whatever criticism the SD governor would face for appointing a Republican (which wouldn’t be much IMHO) wouldn’t hold a candle to the real firestorm that would ensue if he appointed another Democrat.
December 13th, 2006 at 8:52:59 pm
David -
Only because Reid admitted that he didn’t disclose all the pertitent information to the committee.
But I consider that small fish compared to worse dealings from Congresspeople on both sides.