Danbury's mayor was treated after having a seizure and collapsing at a GOP governor candidates' event, sources said, but on Friday, UConn Health released a statement saying Mayor Mark Boughton was treated for dehydration.
Boughton, a Republican contender for Connecticut's next governor, collapsed at the forum at the North House restaurant in Avon on Thursday night, according to sources at the event.
Sources told NBC Connecticut that Boughton showed no signs of a possible problem as he met with supporters, however, he suddenly collapsed to the ground.
One person got on the microphone and asked if there was a doctor. Rep. Prasad Srinivasan, an allergist from Glastonbury who is also running for governor, ran to Boughton.
Srinivasan said he found Boughton on the floor while he was in the middle of a seizure. Boughton's mouth was foaming, he was extremely pale and he had a very weak pulse.
"It’s a blur. It all happened very fast. You just do what has to be done in those situations," Srinivasan told NBC Connecticut.
The doctor held Boughton's head and eventually was able to position his head in a way where he was safe and the seizure eventually calmed down.
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When EMTs arrived, Boughton received medical care and was alert before being transported to UConn Health in Farmington.
Multiple sources close to Boughton said he had not eaten or drank much during the day leading up to the forum in Avon, which was designed as a sort of "speed-dating" event for Republican voters to meet with the large field of competitors vying for the GOP nod.
UConn Health said Friday that he has been released.
The nine-term mayor added his name to the list of candidates for Connecticut's next governor earlier this year. His consecutive terms as Danbury's mayor are the longest anyone has ever served in the city's history.
Boughton, who previously ran for governor in 2014 and for lieutenant governor in 2010, is among the better-known names in the Republican field.
Last August, Boughton's office said he was recovering after undergoing brain surgery to remove a cyst.
