Fetterman was the Democratic nominee for the United States Senate in the 2022 election. He defeated Republican television personality Mehmet Oz in the November general election.
In June 2022, Fetterman announced he was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy.[2]
Early career
He won the Braddock mayoral primary election in 2005 by a single vote, and was re-elected in 2009, 2013, and 2017.
As mayor, Fetterman became known for trying to modernize the economy in Braddock, with an article in The New York Times, an appearance on Comedy Central's The Colbert Report, and a Levi's jeans ad. He has made equality, environmental protection, gay rights, immigration, and marijuana legalization major campaign issues.
On November 14, 2017, Fetterman announced that he would run for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, running against then-Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack.[5] On May 15, Fetterman won the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor.[6] Fetterman was a part of the Democratic ticket along with incumbent Governor Tom Wolf. On November 6, 2018, Wolf and Fetterman beat the Republican ticket of Scott Wagner and Jeff Bartos in the general election.[7][8]
During his time as Lieutenant Governor, he is known for his statewide tours talking about the benefits of legalizing marijuana.[9]
In November 2020, Fetterman received national press coverage for saying Donald Trump was "no different than any other random internet troll"[10] and that he "can sue a ham sandwich" in response to Trump threatening to file lawsuits in Pennsylvania alleging voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.[11]
Fetterman resigned as lieutenant governor on January 3, 2023 in order to be sworn-in for the United States Senate.[12]
U.S. Senate
2022 Senate campaign
Fetterman announced an exploratory committee to run for the United States Senate in the 2022 election in January.[13][14] On February 8, 2021, he officially entered the U.S. Senate race.[15]
In May 2022, Fetterman was hospitalized for a stroke in Lancaster, Pennsylvania a few days before the Senate primary and made a good recovery.[16][17] He won the Democratic nomination in a landslide victory, winning over 59% of the vote and all of Pennsylvania's 67 counties.[18][19]
In November 2022, Fetterman defeated Mehmet Oz in the general election.
Tenure
Fetterman was sworn-in on January 3, 2023 as Pennsylvania's junior United States Senator.[12] In February 2023, Fetterman was hospitalized twice, with the last hospitalization treating his clinical depression.[20]
