US Senator Chris Murphy hospitalised after suffering stroke

US Senator Chris Murphy, a senior Democratic legislator, has suffered a stroke but remains awake and alert, according to his chief-of-staff Allison Herwitt.

Herwitt said Murphy was hospitalised after experiencing numbness in his arm and sought medical attention. He remained in hospital on Sunday and was said to be responding well to treatment at Johns Hopkins, one of the leading hospitals in the United States. Herwitt added that doctors were encouraged by his progress and expressed optimism that he would fully recover.

Murphy is not seeking re-election in Tuesday's midterm elections, which will determine which party controls Congress, but he is viewed as a potential contender for the 2028 presidential race.

A senator from Connecticut for 20 years, Murphy holds senior Democratic positions on the Senate Appropriations Committee, which oversees allocation of government funds, and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

In October, he travelled to the Middle East, marking the first such visit by a US Democrat since the beginning of the US-Israel conflict with Iran in February. Murphy has been an outspoken critic of President Donald Trump and the Iran war, and has said Democrats would block funding for the conflict if they gain control of the Senate following Tuesday's vote.