Rep. John Dingell of Michigan in hospital for heart procedure

Congressman John Dingell is in a Detroit hospital Thursday for a heart procedure. He is the longest tenured national politician and is set to retire at the end of his current term.

Dingell is undergoing a minimally invasive procedure at Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital, reports the Detroit Free Press. His office sent a statement confirming, “He recently developed atrial fibrillation, and the procedure will seek to find the source of the abnormal heart rhythm and correct it.”

His office said that he will be staying overnight and should be released Friday morning.

The news comes two weeks after he announced his retirement. Dingell, a Democrat, has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1955, after he was elected to fill his father’s seat. He will have been in office for 29 terms and his tenure covered 11 presidential administrations.

Days after his decision, his wife, Debbie Dingell, said that she would run for her husband’s seat. The two have been married for over 30 years.

Dingell did say that gridlock in Congress was his reason for leaving, but it was becoming clear that his health may have swayed the decision as well. He often uses crutches and a wheelchair.

image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

WordPress › Error

There has been a critical error on your website.

Learn more about debugging in WordPress.