Weeks After Suffering Stroke, Senate Hopeful John Fetterman Plans to Get Back on Campaign Trail

Michelle Gustafson/Bloomberg via Getty John Fetterman

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a current candidate for U.S. Senate, will soon return to the campaign trail after suffering a stroke just days ahead of the state's primary election in May.

A spokesperson for Fetterman, who secured Pennsylvania's Democratic nomination for Senate, told the Pennsylvania Post-Gazette that the candidate is "feeling really well" and will be "on the campaign trail soon."

"Every day John is meeting with and working with his campaign staff to make sure things are moving along and that the campaign is firing on all cylinders," spokesman Joe Calvello said. "He is also speaking with senators in Washington regularly about the race."

RELATED: Dr. Oz Wins Pennsylvania's GOP Senate Primary Election

Fetterman, 52, suffered a stroke in May. He recounted in a statement and video posted to Twitter that he went to the hospital at the urging of his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman.

The former Braddock, Pa., mayor said in a statement released shortly after the stroke that he did not suffer any cognitive damage and that his campaign "isn't slowing down one bit." Then in June, Fetterman revealed he has a heart condition and published a letter from his doctor with further details on his health.

RELATED: Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman Says He's on His Way to a 'Full Recovery' After Stroke

In the letter, Fetterman's cardiologist, Dr. Ramesh Chandra, said she first diagnosed Fetterman with "atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm, along with a decreased heart pump" in 2017, after he began experiencing swelling in his feet.

While she wrote that she prescribed him medications and advised him to improve his diet and exercise habits, she added that she "did not see him again" until June 2, 2022, and that he "did not go to any doctor for 5 years and did not continue taking his medications."

Chandra added that Fetterman now has a pacemaker-defibrillator and "is doing well," but cautioned that he needs to take his health into consideration moving forward.

"The prognosis I can give for John's heart is this: If he takes his medications, eats healthy, and exercises, he'll be fine," Chandra's letter continued. "If he does what I've told him, and I do believe that he is taking his recovery and his health very seriously this time, he should be able to campaign and serve in the U.S. Senate without a problem."

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As Fetterman spokesman Calvello told the Post-Gazette: "He is about 90% back to full strength and getting better."

Fetterman — who rose to national prominence as a leading critic of former President Donald Trump's baseless quest to overturn the 2020 presidential election — will face off against Republican Senate candidate Dr. Mehmet Oz.