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Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has emergency heart surgery, campaign says

Posted at 10:52 AM, Oct 02, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-02 11:21:48-04

WASHINGTON — Bernie Sanders' campaign says the Democratic presidential candidate has had a heart procedure for a blocked artery. The Vermont senator is canceling events and appearances "until further notice."

The campaign says the 78-year-old Sanders experienced chest discomfort during an event Tuesday and sought medical evaluation.

The campaign says two stents were "successfully inserted" and that Sanders "is conversing and in good spirits."

His campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, was on a telephone call with supporters Tuesday night but didn't mention any health concerns about the candidate.

Shakir said the "state of the campaign is strong" and he played up Sanders' strong fundraising total for the third quarter.

Sanders recently canceled some appearances in South Carolina because he lost his voice. The campaign said at the time he felt fine.

A spokesperson for the Sanders campaign released this statement:

"During a campaign event yesterday evening, Sen. Sanders experienced some chest discomfort. Following medical evaluation and testing he was found to have a blockage in one artery and two stents were successfully inserted. Sen. Sanders is conversing and in good spirits. He will be resting up over the next few days. We are canceling his events and appearances until further notice, and we will continue to provide appropriate updates."

WPTV and the Associated Press contributed to this report.