Fetterman Explores 2022 Senate Run

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is exploring a run for U.S. Senate in 2022. 

“I wanted you to be one of the first to know that I’m taking a hard look at running to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. Senate,” Fetterman wrote at the beginning of an email to supporters seeking donations on Friday morning

He continued in the email to describe the 2022 Senate race in Pennsylvania as the “most important” contest and expressed confidence that he can win, if he decides to enter the race. 

Sen. Pat Toomey, who’s current term ends in 2022, announced that he is not seeking reelection. 

If Fetterman formally enters the race, it would be his second attempt at the seat. Prior to defeating incumbent Lt. Gov. Mike Stack in the Democratic primary in 2018, Fetterman, while serving as the Mayor of Braddock, finished in third place in the 2016 Senate Democratic primary, securing just under 20% of the vote in the four candidate primary. 

Fetterman promotes a progressive agenda in the email and boasts about being consistent on the issues he advocates for. 

“You already know exactly where I stand,” Fetterman writes in the email. “I haven’t had to ‘evolve’ on key issues, because I’ve always said what I believe is true and I’ve stood and worked for the same things for the last 20 years:” 

He voices support for the following issues in the email: “Establish a living wage that is at least $15 an hour; Pass legislation to ensure health care for all Americans as a fundamental human right indistinguishable from housing, food, and education; Fight for second chances and reimagine criminal justice reform; Combat climate change – which is a real, urgent, complicated, threat that requires immediate and coordinated action; Legalize weed nationwide for jobs, justice, veterans, farmers, and revenue; Fight for the union way of life and our workers; and Protect our LGBTQIA+ communities and continue to push for equal protections under the law.” 

On Monday morning, Fetterman announced in a video on Twitter, alongside his wife, Gisele, that he raised over $500,000 from 15,000 donors since announcing his interest in exploring a bid for the office. 

Politico’s Holly Otterbein tweeted that Fetterman raised $760,000 during his entire 2016 Senate campaign.

While there’s been chatter that Fetterman would be interested in either statewide office in 2022, he told the AP in an interview on Friday that he is no longer interested in running for Governor. Attorney General Josh Shapiro has been mentioned in reports as being interested in seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor. 

There have been plenty of elected officials that have been mentioned as having interest in either the race for Governor or Senate in 2022. 

The Philadelphia Inquirer mentions Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-Philadelphia) and Conor Lamb (D-Allegheny), state Sen. Sharif Street, Montgomery County Commissioner Chair Valerie Arkoosh, and state Treasurer Joe Torsella as possible Democratic candidates for statewide office in 2022. The Republicans the Inquirer mentions as possible 2022 statewide candidates are Reps. Dan Meuser (R-Luzerne), Guy Reschenthaler (R-Allegheny), G.T. Thompson (R-Centre), and Lloyd Smucker (R-Lancaster), former Rep. Ryan Costello (R-Chester), former gubernatorial candidate Paul Mango, state Sens. Camera Bartolotta (R-Washington) and Doug Mastriano (R-Adams), U.S. Attorney Bill McSwain, and former lieutenant governor candidate Jeff Bartos.

10 Responses

  1. If Fetterman is bringing in that much money through the internet fund raising, it looks good so go for Senate. A lot will depend on who else runs on the Dem side as well as what happened with Biden’s first year but, as the saying goes, so far so good, Go Fetterman for Senate!

    1. A dead cat is better than Toomey. Dead cats don’t go out of their way to block aid for the needy.

      1. Free everything for everybody with no qualifications! Yayyyy.

        You are clearly a horrible person if you say no to anything beyond the plethora of services our tax dollars and debt support.

        1. Dude…Take a chill pill. Look like you’ll be supporting the Republican. Oh well. It’s a free country.

          1. Dude. Like. Whybare you saying something back to his insulting comment. Like. Whoooooaaaa are you out of bounds.

            Chill out.

            Why don’t you, gulag, and David Diano go have a threesome.

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