Vermont Senator and 2020 presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has been hospitalized due to artery blockage and had to have two stents inserted on Tuesday night.
According to Sahil Kapur of Bloomberg News, Sanders campaign spokesman Jeff Weaver said that, "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," Weaver added. "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."
Sanders, at 78 years old, is considered one of the top three candidates in Democratic primary. He was traveling to Las Vegas for a forum on gun control. He will likely be hospitalized for at least one day, though it could be longer given his age.
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Though it is unclear if it's related at this point, the Sanders campaign is also canceling its Iowa ad buy.
The Sanders campaign appears to be canceling its Iowa ad buy—-> https://t.co/MsnuSC57EF
— Carrie Levine (@levinecarrie) October 2, 2019
On Twitter, fellow 2020 Democrat Beto O'Rourke tweeted "Wishing @BernieSanders a full and speedy recovery. Our thoughts are with you and your family today—and I look forward to seeing you back out on the campaign trail soon."
There currently is no timeline for Sanders's return to the campaign trail.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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