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New Mexico’s junior U.S. Senator, Ben Ray Luján, 49, is recovering from surgery at UNM Hospital in Albuquerque after suffering a stroke on Thursday, his office has announced.
Luján’s chief of staff, Carlos Sanchez, said the senator felt dizziness and fatigue Thursday morning and was evaluated at Christus St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Santa Fe.
After being referred to UNM Hospital, doctors found that Luján had suffered a rare cerebellar stroke, an event in the cerebellum structure located in the back of the brain.
He underwent decompression surgery to ease swelling, his office said, and remains at the hospital where he was said to be “resting comfortably and expected to make a full recovery.”
His office said that constituent services and office hours remained active and requested privacy for the senator’s family.
“The Senator and his family would like to thank the wonderful doctors and staff at both UNM Hospital and Christus St. Vincent Regional Hospital for their excellent care during this time,” read a statement from his office. “Senator Luján looks forward to getting back to work for the people of New Mexico. At this time, he and his family would appreciate their privacy, and ask for your continued prayers and well wishes.”
Luján, a native of Nambé Pueblo in Santa Fe County, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2009 through 2020, rising in the leadership ranks to be the fourth-ranking Democrat under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In 2020, won the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by fellow Democrat Tom Udall. Luján was sworn in for his first senate term in January 2021.
My thoughts are with Senator Ben Ray Luján and his family. I’m so glad to hear that he will make a full recovery. We look forward to his quick return to the Senate. https://t.co/vDSXG6JF72
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) February 1, 2022
His recovery could affect business in the U.S. Senate, where Democrats barely hold a majority as the body is split evenly between Democratic and Republican members with Vice-President Kamala Harris holding a tie-breaking vote.
No information was available on how long Luján’s recovery might take or exactly how soon treatment began after his symptoms appeared.
