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(AP)  Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson was in critical
condition recovering from emergency brain surgery Thursday,
creating political drama over whether his illness could cost
Democrats newly won control of the Senate.
     

 The South Dakota senator, 59, suffered from bleeding in the
brain caused by a congenital malformation, the U.S. Capitol
physician said. He described the surgery as successful.

      The condition, usually present at birth, causes tangled blood
vessels that can burst unexpectedly later in life.

      Democrats hold a fragile 51-49 margin in the new Senate that
convenes Jan. 4. If Johnson leaves the Senate, the Republican
governor of South Dakota could appoint a Republican to fill the
remaining two years of Johnson's term - keeping the Senate in GOP
hands with Vice President Dick Cheney's tie-breaking power.

      Incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid visited Johnson in
the hospital Thursday morning and said afterward he was confident
the senator would recover fully.

      Asked about whether Democratic control of the Senate might be
jeopardized, Reid said, "There isn't a thing that's changed."

      Reid refused to comment on Johnson's medical condition,
declining to even answer a question on whether the senator was
conscious. "To me he looked very good," Reid said.

      Johnson was taken to the hospital on Wednesday after becoming
disoriented during a conference phone call with reporters. At
first, he answered questions normally but then began to stutter. He
paused, then continued stammering before appearing to recover and
ending the call.

      "The senator is recovering without complication," said Adm.
John Eisold, the Capitol physician. "It is premature to determine
whether further surgery will be required or to assess any long-term
prognosis."

      Eisold said doctors stopped bleeding in Johnson's brain and
drained the blood that had accumulated there.

      Johnson's condition, also known as AVM, or arteriovenous
malformation, causes arteries and veins to grow abnormally large
and become tangled.

      The condition is believed to affect about 300,000 Americans,
according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and
Stroke. The institute's Web site said only about 12 percent of the
people with the condition experience symptoms, ranging in severity.
It kills about 3,000 people a year.

      The senator's wife, Barbara Johnson, said the family "is
encouraged and optimistic."

      In a statement from Johnson's office Thursday, she said her
family was "grateful for the prayers and good wishes of friends,
supporters and South Dakotans."

      A person familiar with Johnson's situation said surgery began
late Wednesday night and ended around 12:30 a.m. Thursday and that
the next 24 to 48 hours would be critical in determining Johnson's
condition. The person spoke on condition of anonymity out of
respect for the senator's family.

      If Johnson were forced to relinquish his seat, a replacement
would be named by South Dakota's GOP Gov. Mike Rounds.

      A Republican appointee would create a 50-50 tie, and allow the
GOP to retain Senate control.

      However, Senate historian Don Ritchie said senators serve out
their terms unless they resign or die. Nine senators have remained
in the Senate even though illnesses kept them away from the chamber
for six months or more.

      Rounds' press secretary, Mark Johnston, said Thursday the
governor had nothing new to say. "We're watching as much as
everyone else," he said.

      The governor, elected to a second four-year term last month, has
been widely seen as the Republican candidate with the best chance
to challenge Johnson in two years.

      Other than Rounds himself, top possibilities if a replacement
senator were needed include Lt. Gov. Dennis Daugaard and state
Public Utilities Commission Chairman Dusty Johnson, considered a
rising star in the Republican Party. Retiring GOP legislative
leaders, such as state House Speaker Matthew Michels and Senate
Majority Leader Eric Bogue, also might be considered.

      Johnson, who turns 60 later this month, was admitted to George
Washington University hospital at midday after experiencing what
his office initially said was a possible stroke.

      His spokeswoman, Julianne Fisher, later told reporters that it
had been determined that the senator had suffered neither a stroke
nor a heart attack.

      Fisher said that after making the conference call with reporters
from the recording studio in the basement of the Capitol, he then
walked back to his office but appeared to not be feeling well. The
Capitol physician came to his office and examined him, and it was
decided he should go to the hospital.

      He was taken to the hospital by ambulance around noon, Fisher
said. "It was caught very early," she said.

      A brain specialist not involved with Johnson's care said there's
no way to know until Johnson is awake and able to answer questions
how much lingering damage, if any, the bleeding may have caused.
Still, while he'll remain in intensive care for a while, "he has
every chance of recovery," said Dr. William Bank, who treats AVM
and other neurovascular disorders at Washington Hospital Center.

      Johnson is up for re-election in 2008.

      In 1969, another South Dakota senator, Karl Mundt, a Republican,
suffered a stroke while in office. Mundt continued to serve until
the end of his term in January 1973, although he was unable to
attend Senate sessions and was stripped of his committee
assignments by the Senate Republican Conference in 1972.

      Johnson, who was elected in 1996, holds the same seat previously
held by Mundt.

      South Dakota Secretary of State Chris Nelson said there were no
special restrictions on an appointment by the governor and a
replacement would not have to be from the same political party.

      The Senate last convened with a perfect balance of 50
Republicans and 50 Democrats in January 2001. Then, the two parties
struck a power-sharing agreement that gave control of the Senate to
Republicans but gave Democrats equal representation on committees.

      That arrangement lasted only until June 2001, when Vermont
Republican James Jeffords became an independent who chose to vote
with Democrats on organizational matters, giving Democrats control
until Republicans won back the Senate in the 2002 midterm
elections.

      Johnson, a centrist Democrat, was first elected to the Senate in
1996 after serving 10 years in the House. He narrowly defeated
Republican John Thune in his 2002 re-election bid. Thune defeated
Sen. Tom Daschle, the former Senate Democratic leader, two years
later.

      Johnson is in line to become chairman of the Senate Ethics
Committee.

      He underwent prostate cancer treatment in 2004, and subsequent
tests have shown him to be clear of the disease.

      Johnson is the second senator to become ill after the Nov. 7
election. Wyoming Sen. Craig Thomas, a Republican, was diagnosed
with leukemia on Election Day. He is back at work.


Gallery

The South Dakota senator, 59, suffered from bleeding in the
brain caused by a congenital malformation, the U.S. Capitol
physician said. He described the surgery as successful.


Democratic senator in critical condition after emergency brain surgery

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