Pa. Senate nominee Fetterman might not return to campaign trail until July after stroke, wife says

Pennsylvania Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman's wife says her husband may not return to the campaign trail until July following a stroke in May that was followed by the disclosure of a heart condition.

"I think he deserves a month break to come back as strong as ever. This is going to be a tough race and a really important race. I want him to be fully ready for it," wife Gisele Fetterman told CNN.

When asked whether Fetterman would return to the trail in July, she responded, "I think so."

Four days before the primary, Fetterman suffered a stroke, which he announced on May 15. He has since undergone a procedure to receive a pacemaker with a defibrillator, which his campaign says will address the politician's atrial fibrillation – the condition that caused the stroke.

Recently, Fetterman released a statement saying he had failed to follow up with his doctors after being diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in 2017.

"I want to emphasize that this was completely preventable," Fetterman said. "My cardiologist said that if I had continued taking the blood thinners, I never would have had a stroke. I didn’t do what the doctor told me. But I won’t make that mistake again. Taking care of others is important but you must include yourself in there too."

The candidate and current lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania has not appeared in public since the May 13 stroke.

In November, Fetterman is slated to face off against GOP nominee Dr. Mehmet Oz – in a race that will be among the more closely watched as Republicans try to regain control of the chamber and defend the seat being vacated by GOP Sen. Pat Toomey.