Sen. John Fetterman hospitalized overnight after feeling 'lightheaded'

Feb. 9 (UPI) -- Freshman Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., whose stroke last May nearly derailed his efforts to win a Senate seat, was hospitalized Wednesday after he started feeling lightheaded.

Fetterman, whose win in Pennsylvania in November of celebrity physician Mehmet Oz, gave the Democrats a rare pickup in the chamber, stayed overnight at George Washington University Hospital for additional tests, his spokesman Joe Calvello said.

"Initial tests did not show evidence of a new stroke," Calvello said, adding that he was "in good spirits and talking with his staff and family."

Fetterman, who attended President Joe Biden's State of the Union address on Tuesday, was at a retreat for Democrats when he became ill.

"He left and called his staff, who picked him up and drove him to The George Washington University Hospital," Calvello said.

Calvello added Fetterman was "in good spirits and talking with his staff and family."

Fetterman's seat is critical for the Democrats in the Senate, who hold a slim edge with former Democrat Kyrsten Sinema becoming an independent.

Fetterman, who had served as Pennsylvania's Lieutenant Governor since 2019 before winning the Senate seat, was instrumental in the legalization of marijuana in the state. He campaigned on fighting for Pennsylvania's working people.