Senator Ben Ray Luján recovering from a stroke

Algernon D'Ammassa, Las Cruces Sun-News
·3 min read
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM)
U.S. Sen. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM)
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This story was last updated at 3:54 p.m.

New Mexico's junior U.S. Senator, Ben Ray Luján, 49, is recovering from surgery at UNM Hospital in Albuquerque after suffering a stroke on Thursday, his office has announced.

Luján's chief of staff, Carlos Sanchez, said the senator felt dizziness and fatigue Thursday morning and was evaluated at Christus St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Santa Fe.

After being referred to UNM Hospital, doctors found that Luján had suffered a rare cerebellar stroke, an event in the cerebellum structure located in the back of the brain.

He underwent decompression surgery to ease swelling, his office said, and remains at the hospital where he was said to be "resting comfortably and expected to make a full recovery."

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U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján addresses reporters outside La Clínica de Familia during a visit to Las Cruces on Tuesday, May 4, 2021.
U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján addresses reporters outside La Clínica de Familia during a visit to Las Cruces on Tuesday, May 4, 2021.

His office said that constituent services and office hours remained active and requested privacy for the senator's family.

Luján, a native of Nambé Pueblo in Santa Fe County, served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2009 through 2020, rising in the leadership ranks to be the fourth-ranking Democrat under House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. In 2020, won the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by fellow Democrat Tom Udall. Luján was sworn in for his first senate term in January 2021.

His recovery could affect business in the U.S. Senate, where his party barely holds a majority as the body is split evenly between Democratic and Republican members with Vice-President Kamala Harris, a Democrat, holding a tie-breaking vote.

No information was available on how long Luján's recovery might take or exactly how soon treatment began after his symptoms appeared.

He was stricken on Jan. 27, ten years almost to the exact day since Republican Sen. Mark Kirk of Illinois suffered a major ischemic stroke on Jan. 23, 2012. Kirk returned to the U.S. Capitol nearly a year later.

“The Republican Party of New Mexico and I are saddened to learn of Sen. Lujan’s stroke, and we wish him a speedy recovery," state GOP chairman Steve Pearce stated in a news release Tuesday afternoon. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the Senator and his family during this difficult time.”

UNM Hospital, which has been operating under crisis standards of care since last fall due to overwhelming patient loads during the surges of COVID-19 cases, was certified a year ago as a comprehensive stroke center by the Joint Commission, which accredits U.S. health facilities and programs. At that time, UNM reported the hospital was treating 400 strokes per year.

According to the National Institutes of Health, strokes in the cerebellum account for one to four percent of all brain strokes, with dizziness and vertigo common symptoms. The cerebellum is involved in balance, motor control and coordination.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Algernon D'Ammassa can be reached at 575-541-5451, adammassa@lcsun-news.com or @AlgernonWrites on Twitter.

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This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: New Mexico U.S. Senator Ben Ray Luján recovering from a stroke