A former New Jersey congressman is in the hospital after undergoing emergency heart surgery.
John Adler of Cherry Hill had the surgery after contracting staph bacterial endocarditis, an infection in the tissue around the heart. His condition was not immediately known.
His law firm, Greenberg Traurig, released a statement Tuesday asking that the family's wishes for privacy be respected.
The 51-year-old served one term in Congress before being defeated in November by former Philadelphia Eagles lineman John Runyan.
Adler was the first Democrat to represent his traditionally Republican 3rd Congressional District in more than a century.
He previously was a state senator and Cherry Hill councilman.
According to Adler's campaign biography, his father died of heart disease at age 47 after a series of heart attacks.
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