Democrats breathed a (nervous, I'd imagine) sigh of relief as Johnson (D-SD), who suffered a "intracerebral hemorrhage" (i.e., bleeding on the brain) in December of last year that nearly killed him, made his first public appearance today to mark another milestone in a long and remarkable road to recovery.As you might know, had Johnson died in office or become too incapacitated to perform his senatorial duties, South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds (R) could have appointed a Republican to replace Johnson, thus tipping the balance of power in the Senate to the GOP.
Video of the event can be seen here.