Expect to see Bernie Sanders on the debate stage in October

By Audrey Conklin

2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders will be on the next debate stage despite his recent hospitalization, according to a campaign spokesperson.

The Vermont senator, 78, will be joining the Oct. 15 Democratic primary debate stage in Westerville, Ohio, campaign spokesman Joe Calvello told the Los Angeles Times Thursday. Sanders will share the stage with with 11 other candidates.

“We expect Bernie will be discharged and on a plane back to Burlington before the end of the weekend. He’ll take a few days to rest, but he’s ready to get back out there and is looking forward to the October debate,” Sanders’ wife, Jane, said.

Jane Sanders also said the candidate “spent much of [Wednesday] talking with staff about policies, cracking jokes with the nurses and doctors, and speaking with his family on the phone … there has been no need for any additional procedures.”

The announcement regarding the debate comes just a day after Sanders’ senior adviser, Jeff Weaver, said in a Wednesday statement that the Vermont senator canceled upcoming “events and appearances until further notice” after being hospitalized for a blocked artery.

Sanders said he was “feeling good” in a Wednesday tweet and used his condition to tout his Medicare for All proposal.

“Thanks for all the well wishes. I’m feeling good,” he wrote. “I’m fortunate to have good health care and great doctors and nurses helping me to recover. None of us know when a medical emergency might affect us. And no one should fear going bankrupt if it occurs. Medicare for All!”

Sanders is polling among the top-three candidates in most Democratic polls behind former Vice President Joe Biden and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who will also be on the debate stage.

Debate will also feature New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg; former Housing and Urban Development U.S. Secretary Julián Castro; Hawaii Sen. Tulsi Gabbard; California Sen. Kamala Harris; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke; billionaire Tom Steyer and entrepreneur Andrew Yang, according to Politico.

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Image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons/Phil Roeder