John McCain's recovery from surgery just complicated the Senate's Obamacare repeal vote

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John McCain

AP

Sen. John McCain

Republican Sen. John McCain will be recovering in Arizona next week after undergoing surgery to remove a blood clot above his left eye, his office said in a statement Saturday.

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The news immediately threw into question the fate of Senate Republicans' Obamacare repeal vote.

Lawmakers had said they hoped to hold a procedural vote next week to begin debate on the contentious healthcare bill, but McCain's absence could complicate that plan.

In order to proceed, Republicans need 50 votes out of their 52-member Senate majority. Two Republican senators, Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky, have already said they will not vote to proceed, making McCain's "yes" vote essential.

McCain's office said in the statement he is in "good spirits and recovering comfortably at home with his family. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic Hospital in Arizona described the procedure as "minimally invasive" and said it went "very well."

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