Hannah Foslien/Getty Images(SAINT PAUL, Minn.) — Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton collapsed while giving the State of the State speech in his state on Monday night.
Dayton, 69, had been speaking for about 45 minutes at the state capitol in Saint Paul when the incident occurred.
The governor was apparently able to get up on his own, but was escorted out of the room with assistance.
Dayton’s son Eric tweeted after the incident: “I’m with my dad now and he’s doing great. Thank you all for your kind well-wishes and words of concern.”
I’m with my dad now and he’s doing great. Thank you all for your kind well-wishes and words of concern.
— Eric Dayton (@ericdayton) January 24, 2017
The governor’s chief of staff, Jaime Tincher, said later in a statement that Dayton “briefly fainted after speaking for about 40 minutes. He quickly recovered, walked out of the Capitol and returned home.”
Tincher added that EMTs performed a routine check on the governor, but he was now “spending time with his son and grandson.”
Dayton is still scheduled to present his 2017 budget Tuesday morning, the chief of staff said.
“Governor Dayton and his entire staff thank the people of Minnesota for their outpouring of support and concern,” Tincher said in the statement.
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