“Pennsylvania will be the most important Senate race in 2022,” Fetterman wrote in the email, which included a bold link to send donations to him. “I am confident that we can win if we try. But before we make the call to announce a campaign, I want to get an idea of how many of you would be with us. “
Fetterman, who was elected vice governor in 2018, has national followers thanks to a liberal platform and the unique image he started to build when he was mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, a working-class suburb of Pittsburgh. An imposing figure of 6 feet and 8 inches tall, Fetterman usually shuns traditional politicians’ attire, rather than wearing shirt sleeves and shorts all year round – except for ceremonial events that require more formal attire.
In his fundraising note, Fetterman said he would fight for a number of progressive priorities, including a minimum wage of “at least” $ 15 an hour, national legalization of marijuana and a fight for “the union way of life and our workers”.
Toomey’s retirement announcement last fall ushered in a two-year reorganization of the Pennsylvania political scene. In addition to a seat in the Senate, Democratic Governor Tom Wolf has a limited mandate, and the two top positions will be up for grabs in 2022.
Among state democrats, Fetterman was widely expected to run for the Senate, while state attorney general Josh Shapiro would attempt to replace Wolf in Harrisburg. Fetterman confirmed to the Associated Press on Friday that he will not run for governor. Shapiro has not yet announced his plans.
But other Democrats can enter both contests, including congressmen Conor Lamb and Chrissy Houlahan, and the chairman of the Montgomery County Commissioners Council, Val Arkoosh, who ran for Congress in 2014.
On the Republican side, Representative Mike Kelly, who led an effort to reject the results of the 2020 presidential election in an effort to deny President-elect Joe Biden the Pennsylvania voters he won, is considered a possible candidate for both contests. Others are considering entering the two primaries, including former MP Ryan Costello.
This would mark Fetterman’s second Senate campaign. In 2016, he finished third in the Democratic primaries, behind former deputy Joe Sestak and eventual nominee Katie McGinty. McGinty narrowly lost to Toomey, as Hillary Clinton unexpectedly faltered at the top of the list.
But since that primary, Fetterman won statewide for vice governor. And more recently, he emerged as a frequent commentator on cable news and social media, defending the results of the presidential election of Republicans who sought to cast doubt on the legitimacy of Biden’s victory in Pennsylvania and elsewhere.
Holly Otterbein from Philadelphia contributed to this report.