S.D. has had an ailing senator before

Karl Mundt suffered a stroke in 1969 and never returned to the Senate floor, but Tim Johnson showed encouraging signs Friday.

By Pat Doyle and Brady Averill, Star Tribune

Last update: December 15, 2006 - 9:30 PM

PIERRE, S.D. - When contemplating the personal and political prospects of Sen. Tim Johnson, some people in South Dakota recall another congressman from this state who continued in office after he suffered a brain injury.

"We remember Karl Mundt," said Annette Jarratt, who was visiting the State Capitol Friday in this city along the Missouri River. "That wasn't right that he stayed in."

In 1969, Mundt suffered a severe stroke. He remained in office for a couple of years, however, with his staff performing the bulk of his responsibilities.

The Mundt experience has prompted speculation and concern among South Dakotans about the future of Johnson, a Democrat, and whether his brain trauma might significantly impair his ability to participate in Congress.

But some seemed willing to give Johnson the benefit of the doubt, partly because of encouraging reports about his condition.

"There are signs of improvement," noted Deb Gearhart, 52, while checking out an elaborate Christmas tree display in the Capitol. "I think they should give him time. I know what kind of a fighter he is."

And some seemed mildly irked about speculation that the illness could result in Johnson being replaced by a Republican, shifting the balance of power in the Senate.

"Everybody is jumping the gun," said Craig Brockmueller, 51. "It's going to take a while before we really know anything."

'Signs of responsiveness'

Johnson's progress is "encouraging," Dr. Anthony Caputy said Friday in Washington.

"He is now stabilized and continues to show signs of responsiveness to the medical staff and the family," said Caputy, who was on the surgical team.

Patients with an intracranial hemorrhage, which Johnson suffered, usually experience swelling of the brain, which, like a bruise, takes time to heal, he said.

Since the surgery, medical staff members have conducted regular CT scans, and the most recent one was done Friday morning. It showed that pressure from the brain was relieved and that there was no additional bleeding, said Dr. Vivek Deshmukh, who performed the surgery.

It's likely that Johnson will remain in the hospital until the swelling goes down. He currently has weakness on his right side, and doctors said physical therapy will be part of recovery.

Several people who talked about Johnson at the South Dakota Capitol said that Johnson needed to recover basic skills if he is to stay in office, but they were willing to give a fair amount of time to do so. Still, at some point, "if he couldn't vote, we've got to have somebody else," Brockmueller said.

Gearhart said that the abilities to cast a vote and grasp issues were necessary thresholds for remaining in office.

Jim Hammell, 76, who lives outside Pierre, said he'd like to see Johnson functioning well enough to vote "after six months or so."

Annette Jarratt and her husband, Charles, who are in their 70s, don't want to see a repeat of the Mundt episode.

Mundt never appeared in the Senate chambers after suffering a stroke in November 1969. His term expired at the end of 1972 and he did not seek reelection. A February 1972 story said he had taken no part in Senate deliberations and had not voted since his stroke.

A 1971 story said that Republicans had wanted Mundt to resign so that the outgoing Republican South Dakota governor at the time could name a Republican successor before leaving office, but Mundt refused. In February 1972 he was ousted from all his committee assignments by his Republican colleagues.

But the Jarratts say that Johnson's illness appears less severe than Mundt's.

"It seems like he might get better," Charles Jarratt said. "I hope he does."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

The writers are at pdoyle@startribune.com and baverill@startribune.com

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