Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. Dwight Evans revealed last month that he would be away from Washington for six weeks after suffering a “minor stroke.”
In a May 23 statement, the 70-year-old Philadelphia congressman emphasized that the stroke was minor and noted that he hadn’t even realized what had happened until several days later when the doctor diagnosed him.
Evans said he was expected to remain in an inpatient rehabilitation facility for about a week before returning home to convalesce while undergoing outpatient therapy. He expected to return to Washington by the end of June.
The stroke left Evans with only minor difficulty in one leg and he insisted that it would not affect his “long-term ability to serve the people of Philadelphia.”
Evans said that in the coming months, he planned to “help educate people and remove the stigma” that comes with suffering a stroke so people could understand that many “can recover and continue” to work and live.
Evans asked for privacy as he undergoes rehabilitation.
Dwight Evans is the second Pennsylvania Democrat to suffer from a stroke in recent years.
Shortly before the 2022 Democratic Primary in Pennsylvania, Senate candidate John Fetterman suffered a severe stroke that left him hospitalized.
Since taking office, Fetterman has been very open about his recovery following the stroke, including his struggles with depression.
With a razor-thin Republican majority in the House, every Democrat vote can be consequential, making Rep. Evans’ 6-week absence from Capitol Hill all the more difficult for the Democrat minority.
Currently, Republicans hold a 4-seat advantage over the Democrats, 217 to 213, with five other seats vacant. With Evans out until July, the Republican majority will be temporarily boosted to five seats.
First elected in 2016 to replace convicted former Rep. Chaka Fattah, Dwight Evans is currently serving his fourth term in office.
