Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) suspended his presidential campaign on Wednesday after undergoing heart surgery.
Sanders experienced chest discomfort at a Tuesday event and needed two stents inserted to clear a blockage in his artery, his campaign said in a statement.
"Sen. Sanders is conversing and in good spirits. He will be resting up over the next few days," senior adviser Jeff Weaver said. "We are canceling his events and appearances until further notice, and we will continue to provide appropriate updates."
The Sanders campaign also canceled a $1.3 million television ad campaign which was set to launch in Iowa on Thursday, according to an ad tracker.
The Sanders campaign also canceling Iowa TV buy, per ad tracker, which was supposed to begin 10/3 https://t.co/wmFmOHXmDg
— Shane Goldmacher (@ShaneGoldmacher) October 2, 2019
Sanders, 78, is the oldest 2020 presidential candidate. A frontrunner at the beginning of the year, he has fallen to a distant third behind former vice president Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) in recent polls.
Sanders revealed on Tuesday that his campaign had raised $25.3 million in the third quarter, the most of any candidate in the crowded Democratic primary. Sanders has raised $61.5 million from 3.3 million donations since his February campaign launch, according to CBS.
Although a record among Democrats, Sanders's fundraising total is less than half of the $125 million President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee raised in the third quarter.