Feterman was admitted to a hospital in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Friday while on his way to the campaign. He was diagnosed with a stroke. Feterman has been in hospital since then and underwent nearly three hours of surgery on Tuesday to implant a pacemaker that includes a defibrillator.
While his hospital stay brought some level of uncertainty to the race, Feterman has long been a favorite, holding a solid lead over US envoy Connor Lamb and US envoy Malcolm Kenyatta.
And almost all Pennsylvania Democrat voters CNN spoke to in the final days of the campaign – including when Feterman was in hospital – said the coup would not change their vote.
For the vice governor, who lost the primary election when he ran for the Senate in 2016, victory is the ultimate limit to rising from high town mayor to elected official across the state. Feterman was mayor of Braddock, a small town near Pittsburgh, from 2006 to 2019, when he became vice governor.
Fetherman is difficult to define politically and does not look like a traditional politician, something that distinguishes him from his main opponents.
The candidate has often been described as a progressive populist and holds positions across the Democratic spectrum: He opposed compensation for police efforts, put marijuana legalization at the center of his time as vice governor, and backed universal health plans.
But Feterman told CNN in April that he was not a liberal.
“I don’t want to irritate, but I wouldn’t categorize myself as progressive,” Feterman told CNN’s Manu Raju. “I consider myself a Democrat who works on the same platform of ideas as any other Democrat in this race. And I can’t think of a Democrat running on a national level working on something functionally different in that regard. . “
Feterman also said Pennsylvania Senate candidates “will embrace Joe Biden.”
Feterman’s uniqueness goes beyond the rhetorical. With a height of 6 feet, 8 inches and better known for wearing Carhartt shorts and hoods than for ties and suits, Feterman’s unique appearance sets him apart on the national stage, liking him among his most loyal supporters.
A Biden adviser told CNN on Tuesday that “there are great similarities between John Feterman and Joe Biden,” including a focus on organizing, appealing to working class voters and concerns about unions. Where they differ, the councilor added: “You can’t compare yourself to their Republican opponents.”
The adviser also joked: “I saw the president walking around in shorts and Carhartt earlier.”
As Feterman – surrounded by his father, brother and campaign manager – watched the results of his Lancaster hospital, his supporters gathered in Pittsburgh to celebrate the victory, watch the general election and listen to Gisele Barreto Feterman’s speech. the applicant’s wife.
The question remains whether Feterman’s call could help Democrats win back the blue-collar voters who have left the party in recent years. And Lamb, his main opponent, questioned Feterman’s ability to reach those voters at the center of his campaign.
“These people don’t care how we dress. They won’t make a decision based on how we dress. They will make a decision based on problems,” Lamb told CNN days before the primary. “I’m a man you know can beat Republicans in these high-stakes situations because I’ve done it three times. He never did. ”
Add Comment