Former Alabama governor recovering after heart surgery

FILE: Don Siegelman (Photo by Mike Disharoon – originally posted to Flickr as 080718_NetrootsNation_0128, CC BY-SA 2.0)

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman is recuperating from heart bypass surgery.

Siegelman’s daughter, Dana Siegelman, posted Saturday on social media that her father had bypass surgery after a blockage was discovered Friday during a routine physical and tests.

According to the post, family members said the surgery went well, and that he’s hospitalized at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Birmingham.

Siegelman, a Democrat, was a dominating figure in state politics for decades. He was elected to four statewide offices.

A jury in 2006 convicted him of bribery. He was released from prison last year. The last Democrat elected in the state, Siegelman said from the outset the case was a Republican witch hunt.

His son, Joseph Siegelman, is running for attorney general this year.