Bernie Sanders Will Attend October Debate, Wife Assures In Statement

After Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was hospitalized following chest pains, and received two stents to clear a clogged artery, some worried whether the medical emergency would affect his future in the campaign. He received well-wishes from nearly all of his 2020 rivals following the scare, and it now appears that it may only be a minor hiccup in the Vermont Senator’s grassroots campaign

According to a statement from Sanders’ wife, Jane, he is doing well and will still be appearing in October’s debate, ABC News reports.

“Bernie is up and about. Yesterday, he spent much of the day talking with staff about policies, cracking jokes with the nurses and doctors, and speaking with his family on the phone. His doctors are pleased with his progress, and there has been no need for any additional procedures. We expect Bernie will be discharged and on a plane back to Burlington before the end of the weekend. He’ll take a few days to rest, but he’s ready to get back out there and is looking forward to the October debate.”

Outside of the debate, it’s unclear whether Sanders will return to the campaign trail with the same ferocity as before; he typically attended up to five campaign events per day. He will be missing his campaign stops in Iowa, California, and New Hampshire, and campaign surrogates — including Carmen Yulín Cruz and Ro Khanna — will be on the trail in his absence.

Common Dreams reports that Sanders used his recent surgery to highlight one of his campaign’s signature proposals: Medicare for All. He expressed his gratitude for being fortunate enough to have good health care to help him recover and noted that nobody knows when a medical emergency can affect them.

“And no one should fear going bankrupt if it occurs,” he said before pushing his campaign’s health care plan.

NEW: Sen. Bernie Sanders sends "thank you" email to supporters. He says he's "fortunate" to have good health care and makes a pitch for Medicare for All. #WBZ pic.twitter.com/LAuTA6X9ls

— Liam Martin (@LiamWBZ) October 3, 2019

Sanders’ campaign has not been warmly received by many mainstream media outlets. During a recent segment on MSNBC, Emily Tisch Sussman, the daughter of hedge fund billionaire Donald Sussman, suggested that people choosing Sanders over Warren may be sexist.

Many suggested that her displeasure was directly at Sanders’ campaign’s focus on bridging the gap between the wealthy and the middle class — a common criticism from Sanders supporters who believe the reason the 78-year-old is treated with scorn by some pundits is because of his attack on Wall Street.

As FAIR noted, MSNBC is one of Washington’s biggest lobbying spenders and has shifted their positive press coverage from Biden to Warren since the latter has begun to climb in the polls.