Sen. Luján suffers stroke, expected to make ‘full recovery’

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico is expected to make a full recovery after suffering a stroke and being hospitalized last week, when he began to experience dizziness and fatigue, according to his chief of staff.

The 49-year-old Democrat checked himself into a hospital in Santa Fe on Thursday. His chief of staff, Carlos Sanchez, said the senator was then transferred to a hospital in Albuquerque for further evaluation.

“Senator Luján was found to have suffered a stroke in the cerebellum, affecting his balance,” the statement released Tuesday said. “As part of his treatment plan, he subsequently underwent decompressive surgery to ease swelling.”

A decompressive craniectomy temporarily removes a piece of the skull to allow a swelling brain room to expand.

His office added that Luján is still in the hospital but is expected to make a full recovery.

“At this time, he and his family would appreciate their privacy, and ask for your continued prayers and well wishes,” Sanchez said. His office did not provide a timeline for his return to Washington.

A 50-50 split of the Senate has given Democrats control of the chamber with Vice President Kamala Harris holding the tie-breaking vote. Democrats will retain control while Luján is recovering, but will have only 49 voting members on their side of the aisle.

“My thoughts are with Senator Ben Ray Luján and his family. I’m so glad to hear that he will make a full recovery,” Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said in a tweet Tuesday.

Schumer told reporters, “I believe the Senate will be able to carry forward with its business.”

New Mexico’s other senator, Democrat Martin Heinrich, also sent regards. “I know that all of my fellow Senators and our constituents in New Mexico join me in sending our best wishes to him, his family, and his staff,” he wrote in a tweet.

Luján won the Senate seat in 2020 after serving six terms in the House, where he was a trusted ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. As one of the highest-ranking Latinos in Congress, Luján led the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the party’s arm that supports House candidates, in the 2016 and 2018 elections.

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Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick and Lauran Neergaard contributed to this report.

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An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated how many terms Luján served in the House. It was six, not five.