Fetterman, a Democrat, was elected to his current position in 2018, on a slate with Governor Tom Wolf, after a failed Senate primary election in 2016. Before becoming deputy governor, Fetterman spent more than a decade as Mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, east of Pittsburgh, in the western part of the state, where he polished his reputation as a rude and rude progressive political champion.
Fetterman’s campaign says he has raised more than $ 1.3 million, from more than 43,000 donations, in the weeks since he publicly considered the offer.
“I’m running for the United States Senate for the same reason that I ran for vice governor in 2018 and mayor of Braddock 16 years ago, because I believe in a set of fundamental truths. I believe in the dignity of work and the dignity of a paycheck.” , said Fetterman in a statement.
“I believe that the union way of life is sacred. I believe in health as a basic and fundamental human right. I believe in environmental justice, I believe that our criminal justice system needs a significant overhaul. I believe the war on drugs needs to stop and we need to legalize marijuana across the country. I believe that the LGBTQIA community deserves the same rights and protections that we all have in this country. “
Biden ended up winning the state by more than 80,000 votes, returning it to the Democrats after Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by about half that margin four years earlier. The next Senate primaries will provide new insight into the state’s evolving electorate – and how Democrats see their path to victory in the 2022 Senate election.
Other candidates who are supposed to be eyeing the race include Congressman Conor Lamb, a moderate member of the House of Democrats also from western Pennsylvania. Across the state, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Senator Sharif Street, State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta and US Representative Chrissy Houlahan, among others, may end up running for the largest share of the heavily Democratic vote inside and outside Philadelphia.
Fetterman, however, is the only member of the pack to win elections across the state.
In a video posted on Monday to kick off the campaign, Fetterman argues that he is the only one qualified to conquer parts of the state that turned to Republicans during the Trump era.
“These places across Pennsylvania seem to be left behind. They don’t feel part of the conversation,” said Fetterman. “That’s why Donald Trump went to these small counties and held these big demonstrations. We cannot afford to take any guaranteed vote, we cannot take any guaranteed place.”