Former Sen. Eugene McCarthy is recovering at home after a five-month hospitalization for complications that resulted from a perforated ulcer, his son says.
McCarthy, 81, who left the hospital Friday, was not able to eat for several weeks and had to have an intestinal bypass around the ulcer. The ulcer developed after McCarthy started taking pain medication for a back problem.McCarthy, a Democrat from Minnesota, ran for president five times, starting in 1968 when his candidacy led Lyndon Johnson to decide against seeking re-election.