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Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, Pa. Democratic Senate nominee, home after stroke

Fetterman had a pacemaker put in after suffering a stroke less than a week before the primary vote. He said in a statement that he is "feeling great" but under doctor's orders to rest.

U.S. Senate candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman addressed supporters via video message from the hospital during his election night event at a Pittsburgh hotel on May 17.
U.S. Senate candidate Lt. Gov. John Fetterman addressed supporters via video message from the hospital during his election night event at a Pittsburgh hotel on May 17.Read moreAlexandra Wimley/Post-Gazette

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, was released from Lancaster General Hospital on Sunday — but with doctors’ orders to rest up before returning to the campaign trail, he said in a statement.

Fetterman’s resounding primary victory — with 58% of the vote — came despite a series of health trials for the 52-year-old former mayor from Western Pennsylvania. Just days before the election, he said that he had suffered a stroke, but that it was promptly treated and caused no cognitive damage. He was subsequently diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, a heart condition.

He underwent surgery to insert a pacemaker with a defibrillator on May 17, the day of Pennsylvania’s primary election. His campaign released a photo of Fetterman voting from the hospital by emergency absentee ballot.

It’s not yet clear who Fetterman’s Republican opponent will be in November for the Senate seat now held by Pat Toomey: Hedge fund CEO David McCormick and celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz were separated by just over a thousand votes, with Oz in the lead as of Saturday afternoon. That razor-thin margin is small enough to trigger a recount — though one cannot officially be ordered until this Thursday. The situation has lawyers for both candidates scrambling to ensure that every vote is counted.

In a statement, Fetterman said he is “feeling great” but would rest at home in Braddock, Allegheny County, until he’s cleared to return to work.

“I am going to take the time I need now to rest and get to 100% so I can go full speed soon and flip this seat blue,” he said.