A day after Bernie Sanders suspended his public events to recover from a heart procedure, his campaign announced he will join 11 rivals in Ohio on Oct. 15 for the next Democratic presidential debate.

The 78-year-old Vermont senator experienced chest pains at a Las Vegas campaign stop on Tuesday. After determining he was suffering from a blocked artery, doctors inserted two stents, his campaign said.

Jane Sanders, the candidate’s wife, released a statement Thursday saying he was “up and about” in a Las Vegas hospital and spent much of Wednesday “talking with staff about policies, cracking jokes with the nurses and doctors, and speaking with his family on the phone.”

“His doctors are pleased with his progress, and there has been no need for any additional procedures,” she said. “We expect Bernie will be discharged and on a plane back to Burlington before the end of the weekend. He’ll take a few days to rest, but he’s ready to get back out there and is looking forward to the October debate.”


Recent polls on the Democratic presidential race have found Sanders in third place, behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and former Vice President Joe Biden.

Sanders has been one of the most successful fundraisers in the Democratic contest, finding success with small-money donors. His campaign announced Tuesday that he’d taken in more than $25 million over the last three months, up from $18 million in the previous quarter.

The Oct. 15 debate, which will be televised on CNN starting at 5 p.m. Pacific, will be held on the campus of Otterbein University outside Columbus, Ohio. CNN anchors Erin Burnett and Anderson Cooper and New York Times national editor Marc Lacey will moderate.