Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman hospitalized after a fall caused by an apparent heart issue

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U.S. Sen. John Fetterman was hospitalized Thursday after falling near his home in Braddock, Pennsylvania, during an early morning walk.

He was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital out of “an abundance of caution,” according to a post on Fetterman’s profile on X.

A spokesperson said the 56-year-old experienced a “ventricular fibrillation flare-up” that caused him to become lightheaded and fall to the ground. He hit his face as a result of the fall which left him with minor injuries.

“If you thought my face looked bad before, wait until you see it now!” Fetterman joked in the statement.

A spokesperson said Fetterman remains at the hospital so doctors can “fine-tune his medication regimen.”

According to Penn Medicine, ventricular fibrillation is an irregular heart rhythm that causes blood not to pump from the heart and, in extreme cases, can lead to cardiac arrest.

Fellow Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick said in a statement that he and his wife reached out to Fetterman’s family.

“John is a tough Pittsburgher and is already on the mend,” McCormick said. “We are thinking of him, Gisele, and their entire family – looking forward to seeing my good friend in the coming days.”

Fetterman has faced significant health challenges in recent years, including a stroke during his 2022 Senate campaign. In 2023, he spent six weeks in the hospital receiving treatment for clinical depression. Earlier this year, concerns resurfaced about his health after the senator had an outburst during a meeting with teachers’ union representatives, where he reportedly shouted and slammed his hands on a desk.

Last June, Fetterman and his wife, Giselle, were involved in a car crash after he rear-ended another car on Interstate 70 in Maryland at a “high rate of speed.” The police report said Fetterman was at fault in the crash.

Fetterman, who was elected to the Senate in 2022, has been at odds with his Democratic colleagues throughout his tenure. Earlier this week, he was one of eight Democratic senators to join with the Republican Senate majority to pass legislation to reopen the government. He criticized his colleagues for using the shutdown to demand concessions on health care.

Axios has reported that Democrats are already plotting to challenge Fetterman, whose term ends in January 2029, in the 2028 primary.