Sanders' Daughter-in-Law Dies 2 Days After Diagnosis

Senator says he plans to 'change nature of campaign' after heart attack
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 9, 2019 2:10 AM CDT
Updated Oct 9, 2019 6:33 AM CDT
Bernie Sanders Is Going to Slow Down 'a Bit'
In this image taken from video, Bernie Sanders speaks to reporters outside his home, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2019, in Burlington, Vt.   (AP Photo/Wilson Ring)

Bernie Sanders had an even rougher week last week than people knew. The senator's daughter-in-law died Saturday, the day after Sanders was released from the hospital following a heart attack. Dr. Rainè Riggs, 46, died just two days after she was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer, People reports. The mother of three was married to Levi Sanders, the senator's only biological child. The candidate told reporters Tuesday that he plans to remain in the White House race, but is going to slow down and "change the nature of the campaign a bit." He said he had felt unusually fatigued over the last month or two, and "should have listened to those symptoms," the Guardian reports. His campaign says he will take part in next week's debate, but it's not clear when he will return to the campaign trail.

"We were doing, you know, in some cases five or six meetings a day, three or four rallies and town meetings and meeting with groups of people," Sanders said, per the New York Times. "I don't think I’m going to do that." The 78-year-old said he would slow down the pace of campaigning to "make sure that I have the strength to do what I have to do." Sanders, whose main rivals for the Democratic nomination to run against 73-year-old President Trump are Joe Biden, 76, and Elizabeth Warren, 70, acknowledged that his health could be an issue for voters, although pollsters say there was no initial drop in support last week. "Everything that happens every day weighs on how people feel about you," Sanders said. (More Bernie Sanders stories.)

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