Sen. Bernie Sanders received an outpouring of well wishes from his rivals in the Democratic presidential primary Wednesday, after the Vermont senator’s campaign announced that he underwent surgery to address an artery blockage. However, his longtime friend and progressive ally, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, apparently made an additional gesture.

Warren’s campaign apparently sent dinner to the Sanders campaign headquarters in Washington, D.C. Mike Casca, a communications adviser for the Sanders campaign, thanked the Massachusetts senator’s team in tweet Wednesday evening.

“The team is very grateful (and started with the cookies first),” Casca wrote.

big thank you to @TeamWarren for sending dinner to our dc headquarters. the team is very grateful (and started with the cookies first). — mike casca (@cascamike) October 2, 2019

According to the Sanders campaign, the 78-year-old democratic socialist experienced chest discomfort during a campaign event Tuesday. Following a medical evaluation, the campaign said he was found to have a blockage in one artery and subsequently had two stents successfully inserted. The campaign said that Sanders was “conversing and in good spirits” Wednesday, but announced they were canceling all of his events and appearances until further notice as he rests.


On Twitter, Warren wished Sanders a “speedy recovery” and said she hoped to “see my friend back on the campaign trail very soon.”

Bruce, Team Warren, and I are sending all our best wishes for a speedy recovery to @BernieSanders. I hope to see my friend back on the campaign trail very soon. — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) October 2, 2019

She also led off her remarks during an appearance Wednesday in Las Vegas with a mention of her primary opponent’s “medical incident.”

“I know everyone here wishes him well, wants to see him strong and back on the trail as soon as possible,” Warren told the crowd. “I’ve called, I’ve texted, and I’ll send your best wishes if that’s OK with everyone.”

The news comes at a time when Warren has been surpassing Sanders in a number of early-voting state and national primary polls, following a summer in which the Cambridge Democrat and former Harvard professor surged to the top of the Democratic race. Both she and Sanders have been the main contenders for the vote of the party’s liberal wing and more progressive voters, releasing ambitious, dueling plans on everything from taxing the rich to student loan forgiveness. They have also formed somewhat of a de-facto alliance during the primary campaign in the face of criticism from more moderate candidates.

For his part, the ever-on-message Sanders used his health scare Wednesday to highlight one of his hallmark proposals: single-payer health care.


“I’m fortunate to have good health care and great doctors and nurses helping me to recover,” he tweeted Wednesday afternoon. “None of us know when a medical emergency might affect us. And no one should fear going bankrupt if it occurs. Medicare for All!”