PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Editor's note: The above video is from May 16.
Days after suffering a stroke that pulled him off the campaign trail, Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman has won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania’s primary election. He now awaits his Republican challenger in the November general election for retiring Republican Senator Pat Toomey’s open seat.
Fetterman defeated three other Democratic candidates in the primary – U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, Pa. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, and Alexandria Khalil.
Fetterman’s campaign was thrown into uncertainty days ago when he announced he had a stroke that sent him to the hospital the weekend before the May 17 primary.
However, the Lieutenant Governor, who emerged as a frontrunner in the Democratic candidate field, said he was “feeling much better” and on his way to making “a full recovery” on Monday. On Tuesday, he received a pacemaker.
A Pennsylvania native, Fetterman was elected to serve as the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania in 2018 after serving as the mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania for 13 years. He previously ran as a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania in 2016 and finished third in the primary.
Fetterman has stood behind several causes throughout his career, including LGBTQ+ rights, legalizing marijuana, and healthcare and criminal justice reform. He is also in support of raising Pennsylvania’s minimum wage and investing in more renewable energy.
He did not attend his election night party in the Pittsburgh area on Tuesday as he continued to recuperate in the hospital. His wife, Gisele, was scheduled to deliver remarks for him.
Several Democratic political figures issued statements of support for Fetterman after the announcement of his win, notably President Biden and Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey. Full statements can be found below.
President Biden: "As Pennsylvania’s Lieutenant Governor, John Fetterman understands that working class families in Pennsylvania and across the country have been dealt out for far too long. It’s time to deal them back in, and electing John to the United States Senate would be a big step forward for Pennsylvania’s working people. Democrats are united around John, who is a strong nominee, will run a tough race, and can win in November. And while we await the results of the GOP primary, one thing is clear – these candidates are not your father’s GOP. They have fought a malicious, chaotic primary campaign to be the most extreme. And they have shown people their authentic selves – that whoever emerges will be too dangerous, too craven, and too extreme to represent Pennsylvania in the United States Senate."
Senator Bob Casey (D-PA): "Tonight, I'm proud to endorse my friend, Lt. Governor John Fetterman, to represent Pennsylvania alongside me in the U.S. Senate. Among a talented, experienced field of candidates, Pennsylvania Democrats chose John to help defend and expand the Senate majority. No matter who wins the Republican primary, the Republicans in this race have shown Pennsylvanians that they're more interested in genuflecting to the former President and his Big Lie than fighting to make the Commonwealth a better place to live and raise a family. In contrast, John is a tireless advocate for working families who has never backed down from a fight. We need his voice in the Senate, and I'm going to do everything I can over the next six months to flip this seat blue and elect John in November."
The general election is in November.