WASHINGTON _ A spokesman for South Carolina Rep. Katie Arrington said she is "100 percent" still in the race for Rep. Mark Sanford's House seat despite a fatal car wreck in which she was injured Friday which will sideline her for a few weeks.
Arrington had two surgeries on Sunday, according to a statement released by her campaign. The first was a follow-up to the initial procedure to remove a portion of her small intestine Friday night. The second was for a spinal fracture.
Arrington's campaign said in a statement that doctors expect her to be out of bed and walking in a few days, but she will remain hospitalized for the next two weeks and need a week of recovery after that.
The campaign tweeted that doctors expect her to have "no neurological deficits or limitations."
"She's 100 percent running for Congress," campaign consultant Michael Mule told the Post and Courier in Charleston. "She's determined, if not more than ever, to get back on the trail."
Arrington was a passenger in a car headed toward Hilton Head Island Friday when a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction struck the vehicle. The driver of the other vehicle, Helen White, 69, of Ravenel, South Carolina, was killed, the Post and Courier reported. The driver of Arrington's vehicle was Jacqueline Goff, 59, a friend of Arrington's from Louisiana. A report said she remains in critical condition.
Less than two weeks ago, Arrington defeated Sanford in the primary election for South Carolina's 1st District after an endorsement from President Donald Trump on the afternoon of the election.
Trump sent "thoughts and prayers" to Arrington and all who were involved in the incident on Saturday via Twitter. The president is campaigning in South Carolina on Monday for incumbent GOP Gov. Henry McMaster.
McMaster issued a statement saying "We are shocked by the news of her accident and urge all South Carolinians to keep her in their prayers. She is a strong, determined woman. We need her, and she will pull through."
McMaster described her as a "fighter" in an interview with Fox News on Sunday.
Sanford also tweeted his support: "Our thoughts and prayers this morning go to Katie Arrington, her family, and those involved in last night's automobile accident."
Democratic opponent Joe Cunningham tweeted Saturday that he planned to suspend all campaigning until further notice.
