Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman announced his candidacy for Senate on Monday and said if elected, he supports killing the filibuster.
Video of Lt. Gov. Fetterman on MSNBC:
Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate Lt. Gov. @JohnFetterman says if elected, he would support getting rid of the filibuster. pic.twitter.com/NFSKkRcT8d
— Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) February 8, 2021
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When asked if he supports killing the filibuster by MSNBC’s Hallie Jackson, Fetterman said, “Yes, I would. And here is why, because these are some fundamental changes that are truths. Like if you don’t support raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour I want you to live and work for $7.25 an hour and show me how you can get by and feed your family quite frankly. In order to get those kind of important things passed, whether it’s climate change or things like that, you need to get rid of the filibuster. This idea that some random senator from a state with 600,000 people can hold up the democratic will and the sense of urgency that these policies are coming from, I don’t think that’s very democratic at its core.”
Fetterman could have the right combination to be a successful Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate. Fetterman will do well than most Pennsylvania Democrats because of his decades of calling Western Pennsylvania home. His views mesh well with the blue areas of the state, but he is also blue-collar and that will also help to get rural Pennsylvania Democrats behind his campaign.
Also working in Fetterman’s favor is the weakness of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania in terms of statewide candidates. Republicans were blindsided by Sen. Toomey’s decision not to seek reelection and are scrambling to find a candidate for governor and a candidate for the US Senate seat.
It is easy to see a candidate like Lt. Gov. Fetterman forming a great team with Senator for as long as wants to be Bob Casey.
Fetterman would be a reliable progressive Democratic vote if elected, and he has the right combination to win a Senate race in Pennsylvania.
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Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
