Candidates wish Sanders well after heart procedure

Several of Sen. Bernie Sanders’s (I-Vt.) competitors for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination are wishing him well after his campaign announced Wednesday that he underwent a heart procedure.

Sanders, 78, was found to have a blockage in an artery and two stents were inserted after he experienced “chest discomfort” at a campaign event Tuesday evening, senior adviser Jeff Weaver said in a statement.

{mosads}He added that Sanders was “conversing and in good spirits.”

Many of the Vermont senator’s fellow 2020 candidates, including former Vice President Joe Biden and Sanders’s Senate colleagues Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) and Cory Booker (D-N.J.), said they hope he will recover quickly.

“Anyone who knows Bernie understands what a force he is,” Biden wrote in a tweet. “We are confident that he will have a full and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him on the trail soon.”

.@DrBiden and I are sending our best wishes to @BernieSanders, Jane, and the whole Sanders family. Anyone who knows Bernie understands what a force he is. We are confident that he will have a full and speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him on the trail soon.

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) October 2, 2019

“Bruce, Team Warren, and I are sending all our best wishes for a speedy recovery to @BernieSanders. I hope to see my friend back on the campaign trail very soon,” Warren tweeted.

Bruce, Team Warren, and I are sending all our best wishes for a speedy recovery to @BernieSanders. I hope to see my friend back on the campaign trail very soon.

— Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 2, 2019

“Thinking of @BernieSanders today and wishing him a speedy recovery. If there’s one thing I know about him, he’s a fighter and I look forward to seeing him on the campaign trail soon,” Harris wrote. 

Thinking of @BernieSanders today and wishing him a speedy recovery. If there’s one thing I know about him, he’s a fighter and I look forward to seeing him on the campaign trail soon.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) October 2, 2019

“Glad to hear my friend @BernieSanders is doing well and in good spirits—wishing him a speedy recovery,” Booker tweeted. 

Glad to hear my friend @BernieSanders is doing well and in good spirits—wishing him a speedy recovery. https://t.co/lCB2XhOLuP

— Cory Booker (@CoryBooker) October 2, 2019

“Oh no. Stay strong Bernie,” posted entrepreneur Andrew Yang. 

Oh no. Stay strong Bernie. https://t.co/wc7dzM8Yfv

— Andrew Yang (@AndrewYang) October 2, 2019

“Wishing @BernieSanders a full and speedy recovery. Our thoughts are with you and your family today—and I look forward to seeing you back out on the campaign trail soon,” wrote former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas).  

Wishing @BernieSanders a full and speedy recovery. Our thoughts are with you and your family today—and I look forward to seeing you back out on the campaign trail soon. https://t.co/39ZC6Zhhbn

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) October 2, 2019

“Bernie’s fighting spirit will get him through anything and everything. Good to hear he is doing better and look forward to seeing him soon,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) tweeted.

Bernie’s fighting spirit will get him through anything and everything. Good to hear he is doing better and look forward to seeing him soon.

— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) October 2, 2019

“We want to send our best wishes for a quick recovery to @BernieSanders today. Our whole team has you in their thoughts,” tweeted former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro. 

We want to send our best wishes for a quick recovery to @BernieSanders today. Our whole team has you in their thoughts.

— Julián Castro (@JulianCastro) October 2, 2019

“April and I extend our prayers to @BernieSanders and wish him a full and complete recovery from his surgery. His fighting spirit will sustain him during this time, as will the support and love of his family, friends and countless supporters,” said former Rep. John Delaney (D-Md.) in a tweet. 

April and I extend our prayers to @BernieSanders and wish him a full and complete recovery from his surgery. His fighting spirit will sustain him during this time, as will the support and love of his family, friends and countless supporters.

— John Delaney (@JohnDelaney) October 2, 2019

And billionaire activist Tom Steyer said in a statement that he is “wishing Senator Sanders a quick and easy recovery from his surgery.”

“Senator Sanders has long been one of the toughest fighters in the Senate and I know he will fight through this as well. I look forward to seeing him back on the campaign trail,” Steyer said.

Sanders is among more than a dozen people running for the party’s presidential nomination.

His campaign said Wednesday that events and appearances will be canceled until further notice.

—Updated at 1:37 p.m.