Concerns over the health of our nation’s presidential hopefuls has been at the forefront of national politics for years now.
In 2016, there were serious and deep-seated worries about Hillary Clinton’s fitness for office, made all the more relevant by a bizarre fainting episode during a 9/11 memorial service that was later chalked up to pneumonia. Throughout the campaign, Clinton had been prone to severe coughing fits, strange facial ticks, and other bits of odd behavior that had much of the nation questioning whether or not her advanced age would be problematic in the White House.
Health concerns are again a part of the conversation in 2020, with septuagenarians Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden both finding themselves in contention for the Democratic nod.
For Sanders, those worries came to a head this week.
Bernie Sanders’ campaign said Wednesday that the Democratic presidential candidate had a heart procedure for a blocked artery and was canceling events and appearances “until further notice.”
The 78-year-old Vermont senator experienced chest discomfort during a campaign event Tuesday and sought medical evaluation. Two stents were “successfully inserted,” and Sanders “is conversing and in good spirits,” according to the campaign. He’s recovering at a Las Vegas hospital.
Sanders tweeted on Wednesday afternoon that he was “feeling good. I’m fortunate to have good health care and great doctors and nurses helping me to recover.”
Sanders was not feeling well during a campaign event on Tuesday night, asking for a chair from which to deliver his stump speech – something that the candidate has never done before.
The campaign has yet to release information on whether or not Sanders suffered a heart attack before the stents were installed.
