Washington – Nine months after suffering a brain hemorrhage, Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., returned to the Senate on Wednesday to the applause of colleagues and the relief of his party.
“It must already be clear to you that my speech is not 100 percent,” Johnson said on the Senate floor, his words and his gait slowed by the life-threatening episode caused by a malformation of blood vessels. “But my thoughts are clear, and my mind is sharp, and I’m here to be a voice for South Dakota in the Senate.”
Sen. John Thune, a Republican from South Dakota who lost to Johnson in 2002 by 524 votes, introduced a resolution honoring him. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., thanked his counterpart, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for not exploiting Johnson’s absence – critical with Democrats holding a fragile majority.
“This has been a long and humbling journey,” Johnson said on the floor. “I believe I have been given a second chance at life.”
