Pennsylvania’s Lieutenant Governor announced this morning that he is looking to run for a soon-to-be vacant seat in the U.S. Senate.
Lt. Governor John Fetterman on Friday filed the paperwork for the run for the seat currently occupied by Senator Pat Toomey, but did not make the announcement official until this morning. Over the last month, Fetterman said that he was looking into a run for the U.S. Senate after rejecting an idea that he was considering a run for PA Governor.
Fetterman is the former mayor of Braddock who in 2018 was elected as the Lt. Governor, running with Governor Tom Wolf. Fetterman said in a statement that the reason he is running for the U.S. Senate is the same reason why he ran for Mayor of Braddock and Lt. Governor: His belief in work and in the dignity of a paycheck. Some of the parts of his political platform include equal rights for the LGBTQIA community, the legalization of marijuana, and overhauling the federal justice system.
Other candidates rumored to be looking at a run for the U.S. Senate seat include Congressman Connor Lamb, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, State Senator Sharif Street, State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta, and U.S. House member Chrissy Houlihan.
Fetterman announced he has already raised over $1.3 million for his campaign from more than 43,000 donations in the weeks since he publicly announced he was considering running for Toomey’s seat. In October, Toomey announced he would not seek re-election to the U.S. Senate or for Governor. Toomey said his decision was a personal one to not run for re-election. Toomey has served as a U.S. Senator since 2011, and he will continue to serve until the end of his term next year.
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