John Fetterman: The left-leaning Pennsylvania politician in gym clothes

We can see the path ahead. We can see victory ahead,’’ Mr. McCormick said.Mr. Oz, in his comments, thanked Mr. Trump and another supporter, Fox television personality Sean Hannity, and said: “When all the votes are tallied, I am confident that we will win.’’The endorsement had been a risk for Mr. Trump, as Mr. Oz was trailing in opinion polls before the former president weighed in. The race had been bitter, with both men and their allies attempting to tarnish the opposing candidate as insufficiently conservative. The tally late Tuesday was close enough to raise the prospect of triggering an automatic recount, which under Pennsylvania law occurs when a candidate wins by half a percentage point or less.The Pennsylvania Senate race likely offers Democrats their best opportunity to pick up a seat now held by a Republican, as the current officeholder, Sen. Pat Toomey, is the only Republican senator retiring in a state that President Biden carried in 2020.Rep. Budd’s victory in North Carolina showed that Republican voters have remained loyal to Mr. Trump. His closest opponent, former Gov. Pat McCrory, had pursued a conservative course when he led the state, signing tax cuts into law and backing a “bathroom bill’’ that restricted access for transgender people and drew protests, including from business leaders.Mr. Budd will face Democrat Cheri Beasley, a former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court—who would be the third Black woman senator in history and the first Black senator from North Carolina.Analysts predict that the race will be competitive, but give Mr. Budd an edge in the November contest to replace Republican Sen. Richard Burr, who is retiring.In Western North Carolina, Mr. Cawthorn lost to Chuck Edwards, a state senator whose business experience includes owning McDonald’s franchises.The Republican primary for Pennsylvania’s Senate seat featured two front-runners with substantial professional résumés but little public profile in the state. Neither Mr. McCormick, who until recently led Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund, nor Mr. Oz had held office before or lived in the state until recently. But they had the wealth and fundraising support to build name recognition quickly through television ads.

In attacking each other, however, they risked creating a lane for a third candidate to rise. Late polls suggested that this was happening for Ms. Barnette. Partial vote totals suggested that Ms. Barnette’s apparent surge had faded, as she trailed substantially behind the two front-runners.

In the former steel town of Aliquippa, Pa., retired nanny Nancy Pienkosky, 78, said she voted for Mr. Oz in the Senate race and Mr. Mastriano in the gubernatorial primary. “I’m voting for whoever Trump says,” said Ms. Pienkosky, who said she had been a registered Democrat before switching parties to support Mr. Trump in 2016.Andy Dlinn, 69, a financial adviser in Pittsburgh, said he had been impressed by Mr. McCormick’s record and decided to vote for him. He said he was puzzled by Mr. Trump’s endorsement of Mr. Oz in that race.“I’m a big Trump supporter,” said Mr. Dlinn. “But I’m not sure what’s going on there. I know a lot about Oz, and he’s not a conservative.”Mr. Trump has endorsed dozens of candidates this year in addition to Mr. Oz. In early 2021, he gave a “complete and total’’ endorsement to Mr. Cawthorn.The freshman has since made a series of headline-grabbing missteps, such as twice having a gun confiscated at an airport, and has said that House colleagues had used drugs and invited him to an orgy, assertions that House GOP leadership denounced as untrue.Mr. Cawthorn dismissed the criticism as attacks from the political left, but several local groups and political leaders endorsed his leading opponent in the eight-candidate primary field.In Idaho, the Associated Press called the race for Republican Gov. Brad Little, who is seeking a second term. Mr. Trump had endorsed his challenger, the current lieutenant governor, Janice McGeachin, who has called herself an early supporter of Mr. Trump’s first presidential campaign and practiced a controversial style of politics, twice issuing executive orders to loosen Covid-19 regulations while Mr. Little was out of the state. Both orders were later reversed. Ms. McGeachin has also called for audits of the 2020 election results in all 50 states, despite Mr. Trump’s lopsided, 30-percentage-point win in Idaho.Democratic voters in several races have a choice between candidates aligned with the party’s centrist wing and liberal wing.The freshman has since made a series of headline-grabbing missteps, such as twice having a gun confiscated at an airport, and has said that House colleagues had used drugs and invited him to an orgy, assertions that House GOP leadership denounced as untrue.Mr. Cawthorn dismissed the criticism as attacks from the political left, but several local groups and political leaders endorsed his leading opponent in the eight-candidate primary field.In Idaho, the Associated Press called the race for Republican Gov. Brad Little, who is seeking a second term. Mr. Trump had endorsed his challenger, the current lieutenant governor, Janice McGeachin, who has called herself an early supporter of Mr. Trump’s first presidential campaign and practiced a controversial style of politics, twice issuing executive orders to loosen Covid-19 regulations while Mr. Little was out of the state. Both orders were later reversed. Ms. McGeachin has also called for audits of the 2020 election results in all 50 states, despite Mr. Trump’s lopsided, 30-percentage-point win in Idaho.Democratic voters in several races have a choice between candidates aligned with the party’s centrist wing and liberal wing. from his party’s liberal wing for several actions in the current Congress, including his vote in committee against a measure allowing the government to negotiate the price of prescription drugs. Critics said Mr. Schrader was too close to the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Schrader said that provision, which was part of the Democrats’ package of spending on social programs and efforts to reduce climate change, would die in the Senate, and he proposed an alternative. from his party’s liberal wing for several actions in the current Congress, including his vote in committee against a measure allowing the government to negotiate the price of prescription drugs. Critics said Mr. Schrader was too close to the pharmaceutical industry. Mr. Schrader said that provision, which was part of the Democrats’ package of spending on social programs and efforts to reduce climate change, would die in the Senate, and he proposed an alternative.John Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, easily won the state’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, according to a race call by The Associated Press, but the Republican race appeared headed for a recount.he 6-foot-9 Fetterman, who often wears shorts to campaign events and has the persona of an authentic anti-politician, topped Rep. Conor Lamb in the primary.Fetterman’s win was expected despite the fact that he suffered last weekend and was not able to attend the last swing of campaign events. On Tuesday his campaign announced he was about to undergo a procedure to implant a pacemaker. Fetterman has said he’ll be fine.Lamb, a more moderate candidate, failed to make any significant traction against Fetterman, a former small-town mayor who backed Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential run, even though Lamb was seen as a rising Democratic star in the Trump era.State Sen. Malcolm Kenyatta, who was looking to become the first ever LGBTQ candidate elected to statewide office in Pennsylvania, trailed even further behind.Fetterman now faces the winner of the Republican primary, which was a two-candidate race early Wednesday with celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz holding a two-tenths of a percentage point lead over former hedge fund CEO David McCormick. Pennsylvania law an automatic recount if the margin is half a percentage point or less.Conservative commentator Kathy Barnette, who had surged into contention in recent polls, trailed Oz and McCormick.Oz has the endorsement of former President Donald Trump.The Republican winner and Fetterman will face off in November for the first open Senate seat in Pennsylvania in a dozen years. Current Republican Sen. Pat Toomey will resign at the end of his term.The general election will have high stakes for both parties. The Senate is split 50-50, but Democrats are able to break ties with Vice President Harris’ vote.In a statement, President Biden said Democrats are united behind Fetterman. Biden said Fetterman “understands that working class families in Pennsylvania and across the country have been dealt out for far too long. 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.”John Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, easily won the state’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, but the Republican race appeared headed for a recount.The 6-foot-9 Fetterman, who often wears shorts to campaign events and has the persona of an authentic anti-politician, topped Rep. Conor Lamb in the primary.Fetterman’s win was expected despite the fact that he suffered last weekend and was not able to attend the last swing of campaign events. On Tuesday his campaign announced he was about to undergo a procedure to implant a pacemaker. Fetterman has said he’ll be fine.Lamb, a more moderate candidate, failed to make any significant traction against Fetterman, a former small-town mayor who backed Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential run, even though Lamb was seen as a rising Democratic star in the Trump era.State Sen. Malcolm Kenyatta, who was looking to become the first ever LGBTQ candidate elected to statewide office in Pennsylvania, trailed even further behind.Fetterman now faces the winner of the Republican primary, which was a two-candidate race early Wednesday with celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz holding a two-tenths of a percentage point lead over former hedge fund CEO David McCormick. Pennsylvania law calls for an automatic recount if the margin is half a percentage point or less.The Republican winner and Fetterman will face off in November for the first open Senate seat in Pennsylvania in a dozen years. Current Republican Sen. Pat Toomey will resign at the end of his term.The general election will have high stakes for both parties. The Senate is split 50-50, but Democrats are able to break ties with Vice President Harris’ vote.In a statement, President Biden said Democrats are united behind Fetterman. Biden said Fetterman “understands that working class families in Pennsylvania and across the country have been dealt out for far too long. 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.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. 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. And while we await the results of the GOP primary, one thing is clear – these candidates are not your father’s GOP. 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.Senate seat by a 59% margin in the primary on May 17. He defeated Conor Lamb and Malcolm Kenyatta.It’s unclear who Fetterman will face in the general election. The Republican race, with Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dave McCormick separated by several thousand votes, is too close to call.Fetterman’s election would help the Democrats hold the Senate. It’s considered one of the key races in November.To add even more drama to the primary vote, Fetterman on May 13. Diagnosed with atrial fibrillation, he had a pacemaker implanted and is still hospitalized in Lancaster.Fetterman has established a reputation as a fierce cannabis advocate. Both he and Gov. Tom Wolf support adult-use legalization in the Keystone State. However, they have not been able to convince the legislature to act.New Jersey just voted to legalize weed and 40% of Pennsylvanians live like 20 minutes or less from the border,” he “Why should New Jersey make all that tax revenue, but not Pennsylvania? In fact, we could raise $5 billion in the next 20 years through a weed tax. Legal weed is an opportunity to create jobs and support our farmers. It would be an economic boon at a time when we could badly use a break.”capping a bizarre final few days of the campaign after the lieutenant governor suffered a stroke last week.Fetterman checked into a hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Friday as he was on his way to a campaign event. He was found to have had a stroke. Fetterman has been in the hospital ever since, and he underwent a nearly three-hour surgery on Tuesday to implant a pacemaker that includes a defibrillator.Fetterman — surrounded by his dad, brother and his campaign manager — watched the results come in from his hospital, while his supporters gathered in Pittsburgh to cheer the win, look toward the general election and listen to a speech from Gisele Barreto Fetterman, the candidate’s wifcongratulate him after his win, but the candidate was asleep after his surgery hours earlier. She took the call instead and said Biden offered congratulations, wished her husband a speedy recovery and said he couldn’t wait to support him in the closely watched race in NovemberWhile the hospital stay injected a level of uncertainty into the race, Fetterman had long been the front-runner, holding a steady polling lead over US Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.And nearly all Pennsylvania Democratic voters who CNN spoke to in the final days of the campaign — including when Fetterman was in the hospital — said the stroke would not change their vote.For the lieutenant governor, who lost in the primary when he ran for US Senate in 2016, the win is the cap on a high-profile rise from small-town mayor to statewide elected official. Fetterman served as mayor of Braddock, a small town near Pittsburgh, from 2006 to 2019, when he became lieutenant governorFetterman is difficult to pin down politically and looks nothing like a traditional politician, something that set him apart from his primary opponents.The candidate is often described as a progressive populist and holds positions that span the spectrum of the Democratic Party: He opposed the defund the police effort, made legalizing marijuana central to his time as lieutenant governor and backed universal health care plans.But Fetterman told CNN in April that he was not a liberal.”I don’t mean to nitpick, but I wouldn’t categorize myself as progressive,” Fetterman told CNN’s Manu Raju. “I consider myself a Democrat that’s running on the same platform of ideas that every other Democrat in this race is running on. And I can’t think of a Democrat running nationally that’s running on anything functionally different in that regard.”Fetterman has also said Senate candidates in Pennsylvania are “going to embrace Joe Biden.”Fetterman’s uniqueness goes beyond being rhetorical. Standing at 6-foot, 8 inches and better known for wearing shorts and Carhartt hoodies than ties and suits, Fetterman’s unique look has set him apart on the national stage, endearing him to his most loyal supporters.A Biden adviser told CNN on Tuesday that “there are big similarities between John Fetterman and Joe Biden,” including a focus on organizing, an appeal to working class voters and a concern for unions. Where they differ, the adviser added, “You cannot compare with their Republican opponents.”Plus, the adviser joked, “I saw the President walking around in shorts and a Carhartt earlier.”Whether Fetterman’s appeal can help Democrats win back blue-collar voters who have left the party in recent years remains an open question. And Lamb, his top primary opponent, made questioning Fetterman’s ability to reach these voters central to his campaignThose people don’t care how we dress. They’re not going to make their decision based on how we dress. They’re going to make it based on issues,” Lamb told CNN days before the primary. “I’m someone who you know can beat Republicans in these high-stakes situations cause I’ve done it three times. He never has.”