JOHN KARL FETTERMAN:-Pennsylvania Senate Race, Election Debate Fetterman’s wife,

 

JOHN KARL FETTERMAN

Born August 15, 1969

 

At Present Fetterman is the Democratic nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania.

 

 Is an American politician who has served as the 34th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as mayor of Braddock from 2006 to 2019.

 

Beginning his professional career in the insurance industry, Fetterman studied finance at Albright College and earned an MBA from the University of Connecticut. After the death of a close friend, he joined AmeriCorps and earned an MPP from Harvard. Fetterman's service with AmeriCorps led him to Braddock, where he moved in 2004 and was elected mayor the next year. As mayor, Fetterman sought to revitalize the former steel town through art and youth programs.

 

Fetterman ran for Pennsylvania's Senate seat in 2016, finishing third in the Democratic primary. He ran for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania in 2018, defeating a field of candidates that included incumbent Mike Stack in the Democratic primary and winning the election with incumbent Governor Tom Wolf.

During his tenure, Fetterman received national attention for his efforts to legalize cannabis statewide and pushing back on President Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud in Pennsylvania.

 

In 2021, Fetterman announced his candidacy in the 2022 United States Senate election in Pennsylvania. He won the Democratic nomination with 59% of the vote and faces Republican Mehmet Oz in the general election. Generally described as a progressive, Fetterman advocates for health care as a right, criminal justice reform, strengthening the U.S.–Israel relationship, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour, and legalizing marijuana.

34th Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
Incumbent
Assumed office January 15, 2019
Governor	Tom Wolf
Preceded by	Mike Stack
Mayor of Braddock
In office January 2, 2006 – January 8, 2019
Preceded by	Pauline Abdullah
Succeeded by	Chardaé Jones
Personal details
Born	John Karl Fetterman August 15, 1969 (age 53) West Reading, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Gisele Barreto Almeida ​ ​ (m. 2008)​
Children	3
Education	Albright College (BA) University of Connecticut (MBA) Harvard University (MPP)

 

Ø Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania :-

2019–to –at present

Election:- 2018 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election

Lieutenant Governor

On November 14, 2017, Fetterman announced that he would run for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, challenging, among others, incumbent lieutenant governor Mike Stack. Stack was seen as a vulnerable functionary when the Inspector General of Pennsylvania launched an investigation into Stack in relation to allegations that he mistreated his employees and Pennsylvania state soldiers. Fetterman was supported by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, and former Pennsylvania governor and Philadelphia Mayor Ed Rendell.

 

On May 15, Fetterman won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor with 38% of the vote. Fetterman was part of the Democratic ticket along with incumbent Governor Tom Wolf. On November 6, 2018, Wolf and Fetterman defeated the Republican tickets of Scott Wagner and Jeff Bartos in the general election.

 

 Tenure :-

Fetterman took the oath of office as Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania on January 15, 2019, replacing Mike Stack. One of Fetterman's first actions on the part of Governor Tom Wolf was to legalize marijuana across the state. Fetterman went on a statewide tour, visiting all 67counties in Pennsylvania, and talking to residents about marijuana legalization. After completing his tour, he published a report on his findings.

In a show of support for marijuana legalization and the LGBTQ+ community, Fetterman hung the pride flag and a flag with a marijuana leaf from his office's balcony, which overlooks the state capitol.

However, part of an omnibus bill, signed into law by Governor Wolf, banned unauthorized flags on Capitol property and state employees removed the flags. However, Fetterman has continued to defy the law and fly the flags outside of his office.

An Associated Press review of Fetterman's daily schedule during his tenure as lieutenant governor found that he kept a light work schedule and was often absent from official state business. From his inauguration in January 2019 to May 2022, Fetterman's official schedule was empty for a third of business days. Additionally, the days they worked often ranged from four to five hours. He was often absent from presiding over the Pennsylvania State Senate, an official function of the lieutenant governor. In 2020, he participated in only half the seasons and in 2021, he attended only one-third of the seasons.

The role of lieutenant governor has little real power, but oversees the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons. In this position, Fetterman worked to increase the amount of commutation and pardon for those serving prison time in Pennsylvania. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Fetterman "run the board of pardons with an activist heart and, at times, with the force of a bully." The Enquirer also reported that Fetterman threatened to run against Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who was at the time. Planning to run for governor until Shapiro supported more clemency.

While being chaired by Fetterman, the Board of Pardons has recommended 50 commutations for life sentences, and Governor Tom Wolf has granted 47 commutations.As Lieutenant Governor, Fetterman announced "a coordinated effort for a one-time, large-scale pardoning project for people with select minor, non-violent marijuana criminal convictions..."

Donald Trump

In November 2020, Fetterman received national press coverage for saying Donald Trump was "no different than any other random internet troll" 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.

The 2020 presidential election in Pennsylvania was won by Joe Biden, who garnered more than 81,000 votes from Trump. Trump's claims of voter fraud challenged the results, and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton filed a lawsuit to reverse the results in Pennsylvania, among other states. 18 other Republican attorneys general from other states joined Paxton's case. Backing that effort, Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick offered a $1,000,000 reward to anyone who proved a case of fraud in the affected states. Fetterman responded by testifying that Pennsylvania had discovered three counts of voter fraud: two men cast ballots posing as their dead mother (both for Trump) and the other posing as their son as well as themselves ( also voted for Trump).

 Fetterman said his Texas counterpart needed to pay a million for each of these cases. He said he was proud to announce that Trump "got 100% of the dead mother's vote" in Pennsylvania. Fetterman's lamp received nationwide publicity regarding alleged voting fraud.

U.S. Senate campaign 2022  

In January 2021, Fetterman announced he was launching an exploratory committee for the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania. On February 4, 2021, Fetterman filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission declaring his intention to run for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Senator Pat Toomey. On February 8, 2021, he officially entered the U.S. Senate race.

Democratic primary :-   Fetterman's main opponent in the Democratic primary for Senate was incumbent U.S. Representative Conor Lamb. A political action committee supporting Lamb ran ads attacking Fetterman for being "a self-described democratic socialist". While the ad cited an NPR article, which described Fetterman as a socialist, The Philadelphia Inquirer commented that "Fetterman has never actually described himself that way." Both Lamb and another candidate, Malcolm Kenyatta, criticized Fetterman for the incident where he pulled a loaded shotgun on a black jogger whom he believed had fired a gun.

 

Despite leading in many polls, Fetterman received few endorsements in the Democratic primary. State Representative John I. Kane said that the lack of endorsements is part of Fetterman's "lone wolf personality". Darisha Parker, a state representative from Philadelphia, argued that Fetterman's lack of endorsements is due to the fact "(Fetterman has) never come and introduced himself to me or any of my colleagues. So if a lieutenant governor doesn't take the time to get to talk to somebody like me, then why would we want to send somebody like him to D.C.?"

 

Fetterman won the Democratic primary with 58.7% of the vote, defeating his closest rival, Lamb, by 32.4% of the vote. Fetterman won every county, including Philadelphia County, but he struggled to win much of the city's black vote—capturing just 18% of the vote in the city's majority black precincts. Fetterman's wife Gisele gave a victory speech on her husband's behalf, as he was hospitalized after suffering a stroke

 

General Election :- In the general election, Fetterman is facing off against Republican nominee, Mehmet Oz, a celebrity doctor. According to The Philadelphia Citizens, Fetterman has employed a social media campaign strategy consisting of shitposting and internet memes.

 The Daily Beast reported that Oz's New Jersey residency, net worth, and connections to Donald Trump have been the focus of many of the memes.

 Criticizing Oz's previous residency in New Jersey has become a particular hallmark of Fetterman's campaign while at the same time promoting his own Pennsylvania roots, seeking to label Oz as a carpetbagger. Efforts by the campaign to highlight Oz's New Jersey ties have included enlisting New Jersey celebrities Snooki and Steven Van Zandt to record video messages aimed at Oz, and having a plane banner fly over the Jersey Shore reading "Hey Dr. Oz: Welcome home to N.J.!  John."

 

At an August 2022 rally in Erie, Fetterman appeared in public for the first time since recovering from his pre-primary election stroke; according to Politico, he "appeared physically healthy and mostly talked without any issues. At times, however, his speech was somewhat halted." In October 2022, Fetterman conducted his first in-person interview, with Dasha Burns, on NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. As a result of his stroke, Fetterman required closed-captioning technology to read the questions as they were being asked out loud. Burns said that in their uncaptioned conversation before the interview, she was uncertain whether he could understand her. This drew criticism from other reporters, who said Fetterman did not exhibit such difficulty in other interviews.

Election:- 2018 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election (Placeholder1)

In September 2022, Oz called on Fetterman to debate him before early voting began in Pennsylvania on September 19. Fetterman agreed to debate Oz in "the middle to end of October" but would not commit to an exact date or to a debate in September. Oz and Toomey criticized Fetterman's approach to the debate. The Washington Post wrote that it "raised questions about whether (Fetterman), still recovering from a serious stroke, is fit to serve in the Senate". On September 15, Oz and Fetterman agreed to a single debate, which was held on October 25.

Politico reported that during the debate Fetterman struggled "to effectively communicate—missing words, pausing awkwardly and speaking haltingly", while The New York Times reported that "he was also fluent enough over the course of the hour to present his Democratic vision for a state that could determine control of the Senate". According to The New York Times, Fetterman was an uneven debater even before his stroke.

Republicans seized on Fetterman's appearances and his behavior after the stroke to suggest that he is not fit for office; according to medical experts, speech impairment after a stroke does not indicate cognitive impairment. Some have called these attacks ableist. Senator Chris Coons said that the debate "was hard to watch", but that Pennsylvanians would still be attracted to Fetterman's candidacy because of his "record of what he’s done in Braddock and as lieutenant governor".

 

Political Positions :- Fetterman is often described as a social and fiscal progressive, including by himself. When running for Senate in 2022, Fetterman said that he is not a progressive and is "just a Democrat", explaining that many parts of his platform that were once considered progressive are now mainstream beliefs of the party. In 2022, The New York Times characterized There are no sources in the current document. as "left-leaning".

Abortion :- In a Democratic primary debate in May 2022, Fetterman said regarding abortion: "That is between a woman and her physician". To the question if any exceptions exist, he said: "It's certainly not between me or any politician. We settled this  decades ago, and the fact that these states are trying to repeal it... we have to push back on that." Later that month, Fetterman reiterated his position opposing any legal restrictions on abortion, including in the third trimester.

 

During his debate with Oz, Fetterman said he supported the framework in Roe v. Wade, which allows the state to restrict abortions after the first trimester.

 

Criminal Justice Reform:- Prison reform is one of Fetterman's signature issues, advocating for more rehabilitation action as well as clemency for model prisoners. A part of his role as lieutenant governor, he serves as the chair of Pennsylvania's Board of Pardons, which processes clemency requests and forwards them to the governor. Fetterman urged the board to process requests more quickly.

 

Fetterman is in favor of abolishing capital punishment in Pennsylvania, stating that he "wholly support Governor Tom Wolf's moratorium on the death penalty". He has called the death penalty "inhumane, antiquated, expensive, and flawed system of punishment".

 

Fetterman supports the elimination of mandatory sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole for second degree murder, in which someone commits a felony resulting in death, but is not directly responsible for the killing. He does not support eliminating life without parole as a sentence. His Senate race opponent, Mehmet Oz, has claimed that Fetterman supports "eliminat[ing] life sentences for murderers", which PolitiFact and other fact-checking outlets called a distortion of Fetterman's position.

Environmental issues:- Previously, Fetterman opposed fracking, calling the practice "an environmental abomination". He has since shifted his stance on the issue, saying that he supports permitting fracking, although he advocates for stricter environmental regulations. Fetterman says there needs to be a balance between decarbonization efforts and creating jobs in the fossil fuel industry.

 While running for lieutenant governor, he supported establishing two new fracking wells. In 2021, Fetterman said that he supports moving towards a "de facto moratorium (on fracking) because the transition is going to be toward green and renewable energy". In February 2021, he told MSNBC, "I'm embracing what the green ideal considers a priority. Like, you know, the Green New Deal isn't a specific piece of legislation. What I am in support of is acknowledging that the climate crisis is absolutely real."

Filibuster:- Fetterman supports ending the filibuster in the United States Senate. He has also said that Democrats need to be more ruthless, like Republicans, in order to pass legislative priorities.

Foreign Policy:- In 2015, The Patriot-News described Fetterman as a "skeptic of free trade", given his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and a non-interventionist. Fetterman has said that the United States should not "be considered the world's police officers".

Gun Policy:- Fetterman supports stricter restrictions on gun purchases.

Healthcare:- Fetterman describes himself as a supporter of Medicare for All, saying that health care is a "fundamental human need and right". Fetterman's website states that "health care is a fundamental human right," and that he will "support whatever path it takes" to expand health care access, including the expansion of Obamacare. In the debate he still says he will vote yes for Medicare for All. That is, wholeheartedly supporting Obama Care.

Personal Life:- Fetterman is married to Gisele Barreto Fetterman (Nee Almeida), a Brazilian-American activist. Almeida, who was once an undocumented immigrant and a resident of Newark, New Jersey, heard about Fetterman's work as mayor of Braddock and wrote him a letter in 2007. Fetterman invited Almeida to visit Braddock and a year later they were married. The couple has three children and live in a converted car dealership with their rescue dogs, Levi and Artie. The family has chosen to not live in State House, the official residence for Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor.

 

In autumn 2020, Gisele Fetterman shared a photo of the family's home while John was being interviewed. Levi's humorous facial expression resulted in the photograph going viral. The next day, an unconnected fan of Levi created a Twitter account in his name, the person subsequently made friends with Gisele Fetterman but remains anonymous. Levi and Artie have their own Twitter account with more than 25,000 followers. Mixed-breed Levi was also featured in the CW's television special "Dogs of the Year 2021". In July 2021, the York Daily Record reported that Levi was an advocate for the increase of the state license fee for dog owners to fund the Pennsylvania bureau tasked with canine law enforcement, such as dealing with dangerous dogs and exposing puppy mills.

 

Fetterman is known for his casual style of dress. He is often seen wearing a sweatshirt and shorts. He owns only one suit that he is required to wear when presiding over the Pennsylvania Senate, which has a dress code.

 

In 2008, Allegheny County sued both Fetterman and his non-profit Braddock Redux for unpaid taxes. A tax lien was placed against Fetterman and his non-profit for $25,000. In 2012, Fetterman paid off the unpaid taxes.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Fetterman has a net worth between $717,000 and $1.58 million.

Health :- In 2017, Fetterman's feet suddenly began to swell and he went to the hospital for testing. At that time, he was diagnosed by cardiologist Ramesh Chandra with "atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm, along with a decreased heart pump", although that diagnosis was not known publicly until Fetterman's stroke in May 2022.

 

In 2018, Fetterman spoke publicly about a substantial weight loss. The 6-foot-9-inch (2.06 m) Fetterman, who had weighed more than 400 pounds (180 kg), had lost nearly 150 pounds (70 kg).

 

On June 4, 2019, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Fetterman "collapsed" while presiding over the State Senate; he became wobbly and grabbed the lectern to prevent himself from falling over, and a member of the Capitol's nursing staff came to examine him. Afterwards, Fetterman's spokesperson said the lieutenant governor became overheated and was now "back to normal".

On May 13, 2022, Fetterman had an ischemic stroke and was hospitalized. According to his campaign, the stroke resulted from a clot caused by atrial fibrillation (Irregular Heart Rhythm). Doctors implanted a pacemaker and defibrillator. As a result of the stroke, Fetterman developed an auditory processing disorder that affects his ability to speak and interpret speech precisely. To aid in interpreting, he uses closed captioning to read speech in real-time. Fetterman's doctors say that he speaks intelligently,that he did not suffer cognitive damage, and that they expect a full recovery. He was discharged from the hospital on May 22, 2022. He attended speech therapy regularly following his stroke.

 

Chandra confirmed in early June 2022 that Fetterman has both atrial fibrillation and cardiomyopathy, and that the latter condition was the reason for the defibrillator. He said Fetterman was "well compensated and stable" and that "If he takes his medications, eats healthy and exercises, he'll be fine." Fetterman expressed regret for having ignored his health; after the 2017 diagnosis with atrial fibrillation, he did not see a doctor for five years and did not continue medications.