Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton collapsed while delivering his state of the state address Monday night. Aides rushed to catch him before he fell to the ground and the session adjourned.
(CNN) — Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton collapsed while delivering his state of the state address Monday night.
Video of the event showed aides rushing to catch him before he fell to the ground. The session adjourned and the live feed ended.
A few minutes after he fell, Dayton was “helped up and out of the chamber,” the Twin Cities Pioneer Press reported.
About 25 minutes later WCCO reporter Patrick Kessler tweeted that the governor was conscious and “joking with paramedics.”
The Democratic governor was about 45 minutes into his speech when he collapsed. He was touting the success of the Affordable Care Act and MNSure, the state’s health care marketplace.
He paused for a sip of water and briefly resumed speaking before he began to slump onto the lectern.
The cause of the incident was not immediately clear. The governor’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Video of the event showed Dayton stumbling earlier in the evening as he walked up the lectern.
Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt later said the governor appeared to be walking on his own.
“Gov. Dayton is in my thoughts and prayers tonight,” Daudt said in a statement. “I was encouraged to see him walk from the House chamber on his own and I join Minnesotans in wishing him a speedy recovery.”
