Bernie Sanders still in Las Vegas hospital, wife says

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ wife, Jane, said the 2020 presidential candidate is doing better, although is still hospitalized in Las Vegas after undergoing an emergency heart procedure on Tuesday.

“Bernie is up and about,” Jane Sanders said in a statement released through her husband’s campaign. “(Wednesday), he spent most of the day talking with staff about policies, cracking jokes with the nurses and doctors and speaking with his family on the phone.”

Sanders complained of chest pains during a Tuesday evening fundraiser and later had two stents inserted into a blocked artery. He canceled all campaign events for this week, including his appearance at a gun safety forum on Wednesday.

It’s unclear whether Sanders suffered a heart attack.

His wife thanked Sanders’ supporters for their well-wishes.

Although some news outlets reported Wednesday night Sanders had been discharged and left Las Vegas, his wife confirmed that the candidate is still in a Las Vegas hospital.

“His doctors have been pleased with his progress, and there has been no need for any additional procedures,” Jane Sanders said. “We expect Bernie will be discharged and on a plane back to Burlington before the end of the weekend.”

Sanders received a hospital visit from former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said Bianca Recto, Sanders’ Nevada communications director. The longtime Democratic lawmaker from Nevada served with Sanders in Congress for decades.

Reid told the New York Times that he visited Sanders Thursday at Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center and that Sanders “looked really good.”

Sanders will rest at home for a few days, his wife said, then will return to the campaign trail in time for the Oct. 15 national Democratic debate in Columbus, Ohio.

Despite his age, the 78-year-old senator has kept up a punishing schedule on the campaign trail, often with multiple events in a single day. Sanders, who also ran in 2016, is the oldest person in the current Democratic field.

Contact Rory Appleton at rappleton@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0276. Follow @RoryDoesPhonics on Twitter. The Associated Press contributed to this report.