Sanders Postpones Campaign Events Indefinitely Following Heart Procedure
ERIK KABIK PHOTOGRAPHY / MEDIAPUNCH / AP
We ran the numbers: There are 473 news articles covering this topic. 25% (118) are left leaning, 59% (277) center, 16% (78) right leaning.
Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt) has postponed campaign events “until further notice” following a heart procedure on Wednesday. The procedure, treating a blocked artery, came after Sanders experienced chest pains at a rally in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. “Sen. Sanders is conversing and in good spirits. He will be resting up over the next few days,” said Jeff Weaver, Sanders’ senior campaign advisor.
The campaign cancelled 10 appearances in Las Vegas and California and postponed a $1.3 million television ad buy in Iowa. While Sanders has tweeted that he’s “feeling good,” this recent procedure raises questions of the Vermont senator’s age, especially if he were to win the presidency. American voters have typically shied away from candidates who raise health concerns. Sanders recovery time and post-op performance will be critical to his support among Democratic voters.
A left-leaning article from The Washington Post discusses the seriousness of Sanders’ procedure. According to cardiologists, this is a routine procedure. “I’ve treated businessmen who go back to work the next day. I’ve had patients in the U.S. Senate who have gotten right back to work,” said Steven Nissan, chair of cardiovascular medicine at Cleveland Clinic. The Post further stressed that Sanders’ affliction is especially common in men his age and requires little recovery time.
Centrist leaning articles from NPR, while touching on many of the same points as The Post, further the discussion by highlighting how this incident may affect Sanders’ polling numbers. Hillary Clinton suffered from pneumonia during her 2016 presidential run that brought considerable damage to her campaign. In the context of the 2020 race, “could raise questions about Sanders' age.” Sanders, at 78, would be the oldest president to take office if elected. Candidate age is a big concern for many Democratic candidates, especially with other front-runners —Joe Biden, 76, and Elizabeth Warren, 70, are among the oldest in the field.
A right-leaning article from NBC News used Sanders recent affliction to discuss other health concerns that have plagued the Vermont senator. The source reports that Sanders’ most recent incident just three weeks after he canceled three events in South Carolina to “rest his hoarse voice.” Similar to other sources NBC also questioned Sanders’ age, as well as the ages Biden and Warren.