US senator John Fetterman hospitalised after feeling ‘lightheaded’

The Pennsylvania senator John Fetterman was under observation in a Washington DC hospital on Thursday, after the Democrat, who suffered a stroke during his election campaign last year, was taken ill at a party event on Wednesday.

Doctors at the George Washington university hospital said initial tests showed no evidence of a new stroke, Fetterman's office said, adding that more testing was taking place.

"Towards the end of the Senate Democratic retreat today, Senator John Fetterman began feeling lightheaded," his communications director, Joe Calvello, said in a statement on Wednesday night.

"He left and called his staff, who picked him up and drove him to the George Washington University hospital.

"He is in good spirits and talking with his staff and family. We will provide more information when we have it."

Fetterman, 53, suffered what staff said was a near-fatal stroke in May last year, affecting his ability to speak and process the sound of others' speech. His recovery became a major talking point of his Senate race against the Republican celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz, whose office repeatedly mocked their opponent's health.

One Oz aide, Rachel Tripp, claimed Fetterman might not have had a stroke if he "had ever eaten a vegetable in his life". An Oz campaign statement offered to pay for medical personnel to be on standby during a debate.

Fetterman's five-point victory over Oz flipped a previously Republican-held Senate seat and was key to Democrats retaining control of the chamber.

The race tightened in its closing stages, notably after a "disastrous" televised debate for Fetterman in which he struggled to speak coherently or consistently. His performance was the subject of much analysis, disability advocates praising him for tackling a life-changing crisis head-on.

More than $300m was spent during the campaign, the most expensive for a Senate seat during the midterms.

In his victory speech in November, Fetterman referred to the stroke and how it shaped his political priorities, saying he ran for "anyone that ever got knocked down that got back up".

He mentioned the stroke again as he spoke about what he hoped to achieve in the Senate: "Healthcare is a fundamental human right. It saved my life and it should all be there for you whenever you might need it."

Fetterman was sworn in last month by Kamala Harris, the vice-president, a ceremony for which he swapped his trademark hooded sweatshirt and baggy shorts for a new gray suit. His choice was the subject of a New York Times article on congressional fashion.

Time magazine reported last week that the Senate chamber had been given a digital overhaul to help Fetterman as he continues his recovery. Assistive technology installed for his benefit includes a height-variable live caption display monitor at his desk, and another that can be placed at the dais when he takes his turn presiding.

According to Time, the office of the Senate sergeant at arms has also drawn up a plan for Fetterman's attendance at committee hearings and elsewhere in the Capitol, including the ability to receive live transcripts of proceedings on a wireless tablet.

The captions, the magazine says, will be produced by professional broadcast personnel, in order to improve accuracy over artificial intelligence transcriptions.

The Associated Press contributed to this report