Best wishes on a speedy recovery

Senator Tim Johnson of South Dakota was showing weakness on his right side on Friday after surgery to relieve bleeding in his brain, his office said. He will remain in the hospital until the swelling in his brain goes down. “The surgery was considered a success,” the office said in a statement.

Surgeons removed the blood during a procedure Wednesday and stabilized the bleeding, relieving the pressure on the brain. Senator Johnson, 59, remains in intensive care at George Washington University Hospital in critical but stable condition.

“Considering his initial presentation, his progress is encouraging,” Dr. Anthony Caputy, the chairman of the hospital’s department of neurosurgery, said that Mr. Johnson continues to show “signs of responsiveness” to hospital staff and his family.

Mr. Johnson, a Democrat, began to stutter Wednesday while on a conference call with reporters, then walked back to his office, aides said. After being examined by the Capitol physician, he was admitted to George Washington University Hospital with what his office called “the symptoms of a stroke.”

His illness raised the possibility that the Democrats might lose the 51-to-49 majority they are expecting to assume in the Senate that convenes in early January. Should Senator Johnson no longer be able to perform his duties, South Dakota's Republican Governor would be asked to appoint a replacement.