PA Lt. Gov. John Fetterman Officially Announces U.S. Senate Bid

HARRISBURG, PA — Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman on Monday formally announced his bid for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated in 2022 by the retiring Pat Toomey.

Fetterman declared his candidacy on social media.

“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,” Fetterman said in a statement.

“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 health care 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."

Fetterman, 51, ran for the Democratic Senate nomination in 2016, but lost to Democrat Katie McGinty. She then lost to Toomey. Fetterman was elected lieutenant governor in 2018.

Fetterman announced on his website last month that he was exploring a bid for Toomey's seat. Three days after the announcement, Fetterman said he had received more than $500,000 in donations from donors in all 50 states and 63 of the state's 67 counties.

Fetterman is the former mayor of Braddock, a small working class mill town just east of Pittsburgh.

Fetterman should have no shortage of competitors for the Democratic nomination for Senate, including current members of Congress. According to The Hill, among those considering a bid are Rep. Conor Lamb of Allegheny County in western Pennsylvania and representatives Chrissy Houlahan, Brendan Boyle and Madeleine Dean.