This weekend brought the distressing and somewhat spooky news that two prominent Democratic officials were being treated for strokes — senator Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Pennsylvania lieutenant governor and senatorial candidate John Fetterman. The good news is that both men appear to be on the mend. (In late January, the 49-year-old New Mexico senator Ben Ray Lujan suffered a stroke, but has thankfully made a quick recovery and returned to work.)
Fetterman is the heavy favorite to win tomorrow’s Democratic Senate primary, over state representative Malcolm Kenyatta, Jenkintown borough councilwoman Alex Khalil, and U.S. representative Conor Lamb.
Based on recent history, Fetterman’s stroke is not likely to be a major factor tomorrow’s voting. Back in October 2019, the then-78-year-old Bernie Sanders suffered a heart attack, and his campaign revealed almost no information about his absence from the campaign trail for three days. Three months later, Sanders released his medical records, and an assessment from a cardiologist declaring, “I see no reason why he cannot continue campaigning without limitation and, should he be elected, I am confident he has the mental and physical stamina to fully undertake the rigors of the presidency.” Not only did Sanders not lose any ground in the aftermath of the news of his heart attack, he gained ground in the polls and leaped ahead of Elizabeth Warren. As long as a candidate looks reasonably healthy and energetic, voter concerns about the candidate’s health tend to dissipate quickly.
Beyond that, many Pennsylvania Democrats have cast their ballots already, voting by mail; voters requested 908,903 ballots for tomorrow’s primary.