Monday, Feb. 8, Pennsylvania’s Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman declared he will run for the Commonwealth’s open U.S. Senate seat in 2022. The former mayor of Braddock and recent champion for progressive causes in Pennsylvania has attracted a large following across the nation thanks to his media-savvy nature, with many TV interviews and tweets going viral as part of his campaign to combat misinformation surrounding Pennsylvania’s election results. In January, Fetterman announced he was exploring the idea of running for US Senate, opening up the door for donations to a possible campaign. Within three days, the exploratory campaign raised over $500,000, with an average donation of $33 from 63 of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties and all 50 states. Within 17 days, he raised over $1 million for the, at that time, still exploratory committee.
Progressives in the Commonwealth and around the nation were quite excited about Fetterman’s announcement as they anticipate him being a popular, outspoken voice for their causes in the U.S. Senate. On his motivations, Fetterman said, “I’m running for the United States Senate for the same reason I ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2018 and Mayor of Braddock 16 years ago, because I believe in a set of core truths. I believe in the dignity of work and the dignity of a paycheck… I believe the union way of life is sacred. I believe in healthcare as a fundamental, basic human right. I believe in environmental justice, I believe our criminal justice system needs a significant overhaul. I believe that the war on drugs needs to stop and we need to legalize marijuana across this country. I believe that the LGBTQIA community deserves the same rights and protections that the rest of us enjoy in this country.”
The former mayor has also been quite vocal about his stances, putting out a series of tweets saying things like “If you sincerely believe healthcare is a privilege, I’m sincerely begging you to vote for the other candidate” and “If you’re cool with Pennsylvania minting 20,000 NEW criminal records every single year for getting caught sipping some weed, I am not your dude for 2022.”
While Fetterman is the first major candidate to declare in the Democratic primary (two others have also declared, but are not considered serious contenders), the field is expected to be quite crowded. Among the candidates expected to enter that race are Former State Treasurer Joe Torsella, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, US Representatives Conor Lamb (PA-17) and Chrissy Houlahan (PA-6), State legislator Senator Sharif Street (PA-3) and Representative Malcolm Kenyatta (PA-181) and many more lesser-known individuals. However, as some analysts have noted, Fetterman is the only major candidate who has won a statewide election in the past. Other notable candidates – former Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto and Governor Tom Wolf – have said publicly they do not intend to run for the open seat.
The Republican field is also becoming increasingly competitive. With the retirement of Senator Pat Toomey from politics, one of the Commonwealth’s top Republicans, no GOP successor has been clearly identified. Former candidate for Lieutenant Governor, Jeff Bartos (whom Fetterman defeated in 2018), said last week he is “seriously considering a run for Senate.” Former U.S. Representative Ryan Costello (PA-6) and current Representative Guy Reschenthaler (PA-14) have also publicly expressed their interest in entering the race. Other candidates include former U.S. Representative Charlie Dent, Representative Mike Kelly (PA-16), State Senator Mike Regan (PA-31), Chester County Commissioner Michelle Kichlineand and, according to Politico, Elizabethtown College alumna State Representative Martina White (PA-170). No matter who emerges victorious, national election experts project the Pennsylvania US Senate race to be one of the most competitive and heavily watched of the 2022 midterms.
In the end, this author encourages everyone to research your midterm candidates (no matter where you live), get involved with a campaign that inspires you, and, of course, remember to vote because our government only works if citizens get involved and participate!
