JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill has been making rounds on the campaign trail, and while some, particularly opponents, have questioned her health after a cancer scare in 2016, the incumbent seemed to be hardly fazed by a cracked rib.
The Democratic senator over the weekend told constituents that she had suffered the injury after a colleague, Sen. Joe Manchin III (D – W. Va.) had saved her from choking at a caucus luncheon.
While attending the NAACP annual banquet in St. Louis last Thursday, McCaskill said she would not be hugging people, due to the rib.
According to the Washington Post, a spokesman for Manchin said the accident happened on Thursday when Senate Democrats met for lunch. McCaskill began choking, and Manchin ran over to give her the Heimlich maneuver, dislodging the blockage in her throat, but also leaving McCaskill with an injury.
McCaskill participated in the day’s final votes, then traveled home to Missouri. The Democrat kept up her campaign schedule over the weekend, addressing Democrats on Saturday evening at their annual dinner.
“I’m really grateful to Joe – a little bit of a sore rib for a couple of weeks is no big deal,” McCaskill told the Post through a spokesman.
Benjamin Peters was a reporter for The Missouri Times and Missouri Times Magazine and also produced the #MoLeg Podcast. He joined The Missouri Times in 2016 after working as a sports editor and TV news producer in mid-Missouri. Benjamin is a graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield.
