Big news today out of Pennsylvania:
The longtime mayor of Braddock who ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate last year plans to run for lieutenant governor in next year’s election.
John Fetterman on Tuesday became the latest Democrat to announce that he’s willing to challenge the sitting lieutenant governor, Mike Stack, in the party’s primary.
Mr. Fetterman was something of a national media darling for his efforts to revive struggling Braddock before he ran for U.S. Senate. He garnered nearly 20 percent of the vote in his losing primary effort.
"For the last 12 years, we've been building our community back up,” he said. “I'm proud of what we've accomplished in Braddock, but there are struggling towns like mine all across Pennsylvania, places that helped build this country but have since been forgotten. I'm running because I believe that every community is worth fighting for, and that together, we can build Pennsylvania back up -- so that every child born here has an equal shot, regardless of their zip code."
Mr. Fetterman had been expected to announce a campaign for some time, and did so with a Tuesday morning tweet that included a two-minute video. That grittily shot video, shot in a style very reminiscent of Mr. Fetterman's 2016 Senate campaign spots, features the candidate driving through the area, alternated with shots of residents and his family.
Current Lt. Governor Mike Stack (D. PA) has been facing some very negative press since April:
He has gone quiet since news broke in April that he and his wife had berated state troopers and staffers employed to protect and serve them. Gov. Wolf pulled the staffers, Stack apologized and his wife, Tonya, sought in-patient treatment for mental-health issues.
And just like that, Stack went from someone people didn’t think too much about to a political liability for Gov. Wolf.
Fetterman, who arrived in Braddock in 2001 for an AmeriCorps job after graduating from the Harvard School of Government, stands 6-foot-8 and covers his tattoo-adorned massive frame in black work shirts and shorts.
He finished third out of four candidates in last year’s Democratic primary election for the U.S. Senate but made a name for himself as an authentic populist in a time of so much faux-populism.
And just like that, Fetterman becomes a danger to Stack’s political longevity and a tricky balancing act for Wolf.
Fetterman declined to comment Friday about his plans. His personal website was undergoing a tune-up, with just the words “coming soon” on display.
Look for Wolf to stay out of it and let things unfold. He would shed no tears over a defeat for Stack. And Fetterman would add a much-needed boost of energy for a general election campaign.
Billy Penn covers the whole timeline of what happened to Stack back in April. While it’s hard to tell right now what impact Fetterman will have on this race, some Pennsylvania Democrats are cheering this move:
As recently as August, Fetterman, a Democrat, told KDKA-TV that he was contemplating a runto replace Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Mike Stack, a scandal-plagued second-in-command to Gov. Tom Wolf, also a Democrat. But Fetterman has remained publicly noncommittal since then.
Other rumors dating back to 2016 indicated that Fetterman was being considered for the role by Democratic power brokers looking to oust Stack as his relationship with Wolf soured.
Former Gov. Ed Rendell told City & State in August, “John is the archetype of a Trump-Democratic voter — except that he has a master’s from Harvard. We should be using candidates like John in Pennsylvania all the time.”
Rendell added at the time, “I love John Fetterman. Of course, only Gov. Wolf can choose who to back for lieutenant governor.”
The governor’s office has so far declined to comment.
State Democrats will hold their endorsement convention at the beginning of February. In Pennsylvania, candidates for lieutenant governor and governor run separately in party primaries and together in the general election.
It’s clear why some like Rendell see Fetterman as an asset, should he choose to run.
Not only does Fetterman have a larger-than-usual profile for a prospective statewide candidate — thanks in part to years of national media profiles and appearances on shows like Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown“ — Fetterman is also politically ambidextrous.
He’s a progressive Democrat with a Sanders-esque resonance and, some believe, an ability to draw disillusioned Democrats — many of them spurned Sanders supporters — back into the party fold. And while he’s been deeply critical of President Donald Trump, he’s also remained empathetic to those Trump voters, including his own parents, who responded more to Trump’s economic message than cultural dog whistles.
“The question within our own party is: ‘Do we go after these Trump voters? Or are we like ‘Screw ’em, we’re going to find a new way,'” Fetterman told PennLive in May. “And I feel like we’re evenly divided between ‘Screw ’em, they’re all racists, we’ll find a new path’ and ‘Look, many of these folks voted for Obama twice.'”
Fetterman belongs to the latter camp, in case that wasn’t clear.
I’ve always liked Fetterman and I think he would be great for higher office. Fetterman was already contemplating a second run at the U.S. Senate in 2022 when Tea Party U.S. Senator Pat Toomey (R. PA) is up for re-election. Personally, I’m glad he is choosing this office rather than the U.S. Senate because I believe Attorney General Josh Shapiro (D. PA) would be in a better position in 2022 to unseat Toomey.
Meanwhile, on the GOP side, there’s been a shake up in their U.S. Senate/Lt. Governor race as well:
Republican Jeff Bartos has redirected his political aspiration from Washington, D.C., to Harrisburg.
The Montgomery County real estate developer is abandoning his plans to run for the U.S. Senate and instead will seek the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor, a post he aims to win by working in tandem with gubernatorial candidate Scott Wagner, a York County state senator and business owner. The two men appeared together Thursday to announce they are creating an informal ticket.
Bartos’ decision removes the main obstacle facing U.S. Rep. Lou Barletta as he seeks the Republican nomination to challenge Democratic U.S. Sen. Bob Casey next year. While a number of other GOP candidates have announced Senate campaigns, Barletta and Bartos were the most active and well-funded at this point in the race.
But with Barletta — who was an early supporter of President Donald Trump — holding an advantage in name identification and implied support from the White House, Bartos appears to have decided his political fortunes will be greater in another race.
Something else you should know about Bartos:
Like Wagner, Bartos has not been shy about dipping into his own pocket for campaign expenses. He had just over $1 million in his Senate political action committee as of Sept. 30, more than half from loans to the PAC, according to a campaign finance report filed Oct. 13.
Bartos made two personal loans, for $550,000, in June and September.
What becomes of that money could say a lot about the new Wagner-Bartos partnership. Federal and state campaign finance laws make it easy to move money from federal PACs, which operate under contribution limits, to statewide PACs, which do not. It is far more difficult to move money in the other direction.
Last month, Bartos wrote on Breitbart, a right-wing news site run by former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, that he “will not pledge” to back U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican who serves as majority leader in the Senate.
McConnell is a popular target for Bannon and like-minded anti-establishment political activists on the right.
I’ll be keeping an eye on this race. Click here to donate and get involved with Fetterman’s campaign.