Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has altered his eating habits and is exercising more in the six weeks since he suffered a heart attack, conscious that he must persuade voters he is in good enough shape to be America’s leader, reports The New York Times.
The Vermont senator has been eating more salads and less meat, resting more and taking long walks. Some of his allies have also urged him to dress better and tame his unremarkable hair.
“I’ve noticed him ordering a heck of a lot more salads,” Faiz Shakir, Sanders’ campaign manager told the Times.
Sanders, 78, had emergency heart surgery in October. His campaign has scaled back since, albeit a little, and Sanders acknowledged that the heart attack would likely raise questions about his age.
“Everything that happens every day weighs on how people think about you. You look at the totality of who a candidate is,” he said.
Still, voters are wary.
A Washington Post/ABC News poll conducted in late October found that only 48 percent of respondents believed Sanders was in good enough health to serve as president. Joe Biden notched 74 percent and Elizabeth Warren 80.
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