Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman announced his run for Republican Pat Toomey’s U.S. Senate on Monday morning. Toomey decided not to seek reelection last October, saying he wanted to return to the private sector and spend more time with family.
CNN reports: “Fetterman, a Democrat, was elected to his current position in 2018, on a ticket with Gov. Tom Wolf, after a failed Senate primary bid in 2016. Before becoming lieutenant governor, Fetterman spent more than a decade as the mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, just east of Pittsburgh in the western part of the state, where he burnished his reputation as a no-nonsense, gruff progressive political champion.”
Said Fetterman in a statement: “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.”
