Sanders will take part in Oct. 15 debate following heart procedure

White House hopeful Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will take part in the Oct. 15 primary debate after undergoing a procedure this week to have two stents inserted to address an arterial blockage. 

Sanders’s campaign Thursday confirmed to The Hill that the 78-year-old Vermont lawmaker will participate in the Ohio event, which will also feature 11 other Democratic presidential contenders. 

{mosads}Campaign aides said Wednesday that Sanders underwent the procedure after experiencing chest discomfort during a campaign event on Tuesday and that he would spend the next few days recovering from the procedure.

“Sen. Sanders is conversing and in good spirits,” Jeff Weaver, a senior adviser to Sanders’s campaign, said in a statement. “He will be resting up over the next few days. We are canceling his events and appearances until further notice, and we will continue to provide appropriate updates.” 

The campaign also confirmed it was postponing a $1.3 million television ad buy in Iowa that was slated to begin airing Thursday.

The debate later this month will feature 12 candidates taking the stage at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio, just north of Columbus.

Sanders will be near center stage, right next to former Vice President Joe Biden.

Sanders’s procedure has underscored the age of the primary field’s top contenders. Biden is 76 years old, while Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is 70.

Allies of the Vermont senator have insisted he’s in good health, often pointing to the energy he shows during his packed campaign schedule.