Rand Paul (Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst is doing okay after a fellow senator, Rand Paul of Kentucky, had to perform the Heimlich maneuver on the Iowa Republican when she choked on food during a closed-door GOP lunch Thursday.
“Can’t help but choke on the woke policies Dems are forcing down our throats. Thanks, Dr. @RandPaul!,” Ernst wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, quoting an earlier post from a Politico reporter about the incident.
Ernst’s office said later Thursday that she’s fine, but didn’t provide further details.
Paul became an ophthalmologist after graduating from Duke University with a medical degree in 1988.
South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters afterward that he appreciated Paul’s actions.
“God bless Rand Paul,” Graham said, according to a Washington Post reporter’s post on X. “I never thought I’d say that.”
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Jennifer Shutt
Jennifer covers the nation’s capital as a senior reporter for States Newsroom. Her coverage areas include congressional policy, politics and legal challenges with a focus on health care, unemployment, housing and aid to families.
Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, the nation’s largest state-focused nonprofit news organization.
