John Fetterman Projected Winner Of PA Senate Democratic Primary: AP

PENNSYLVANIA — Leading progressive Lt. Gov. John Fetterman is the unofficial winner of the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania's next U.S. Senator, the Associated Press projects. He'll face off against a still to be determined Republican challenger in November for the seat that will be vacated by U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey.

As of 9:45 p.m., Fetterman had 301,250 votes to U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb's 144,070, with 44 percent of precincts reporting. State Sen. Malcolm Kenyatta was a distant third with 45,603.

Fetterman, 52, has been Gov. Tom Wolf's leiutenant since 2019. He voted from his hospital bed on Tuesday after suffering a stroke over the weekend.

He shared a brief message to social media in the wake of his victory. "PA — THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING ME AS YOUR DEMOCRATIC NOMINEE FOR U.S. SENATE IN PENNSYLVANIA!!!!!!!! I’m *so* deeply honored."

The win earned a nod from President Joe Biden, who issued a statement Tuesday night.

"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," Biden said. "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."

Kenyatta, one of Fetterman's chief competitors, said he called Fetterman to congratulate him. Kenyatta ran his own distinctive and historic campaign.

“When we joined this race a year and a half ago we knew the hill we had to climb would be high, but we knew we had to climb," he said. "Too much was at stake to not try. We didn’t climb to make history, but today we did as the first openly gay man to ever appear on a ballot for US Senate and as the second African American in Pennsylvania history to ever seek the Democratic nomination for US Senate."

Biden, meanwhile, also issued a stark warning over who Fetterman will eventually face. Dave McCormick, Kathy Barnette, and Mehmet Oz are locked in a tight three way race.

"And while we await the results of the GOP primary, one thing is clear – these candidates are not your father’s GOP," the president added. "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."

Fetterman's victory is a huge win for the progressive wing of the Democratic party, with which Fetterman has a mixed relationship. It's often been considered analogous to Sen. Bernie Sanders' relationship with mainstream Democrats. While enjoying a good working relationship with Gov. Wolf, Fetterman's policies were farther to the left than the governor from the beginning. And he has clashed with establishment Democrats over how hard a stance to take on numerous issues, ranging from healthcare and student loan debt to his keystone issue, marijuana legalization.

Original story

A handful of high profile Democrats remained in the running on primary Election Day in Pennsylvania, even as Lt. Governor and favorite John Fetterman held a large lead in the polls in the weeks leading up to Tuesday.

Fetterman, associated with the progressive wing of the party, has faced strong challenges from both other progressives and members of the Democratic Party's more mainstream establishment.

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Gov. Tom Wolf's lieutenant for the past three years, Fetterman expanded on the grassroots, tough-guy leftist image that bolstered him to national prominence as the mayor of a small town in western Pennsylvania for the 13 years prior. He's advocated strongly for a host of touchstone policies on the left, including universal healthcare, student loan forgiveness, and, perhaps most notably, marijuana legalization.

According to the latest aggregate of polls from RealClearPolitics, Fetterman leads his nearest challenger, U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, 43 percent to 12 percent.

State Sen. Malcolm Kenyatta (6 percent), physician Kevin Baumlin (5 percent), and Jenkintown Borough Councilor Alex Khalil (2 percent) also remain in the running.