John Fetterman Wins Democratic Nomination For Pennsylvania Senate Seat

Topline

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has defeated Rep. Conor Lamb to become the Democratic nominee for Pennsylvania’s open Senate seat, according to the Associated Press, vaulting Fetterman into a November general election that’s expected to be one of the most competitive midterm Senate races.

Key Facts

The AP called the race for Fetterman at 8:54 p.m. Eastern time, with an estimated 25% of the vote counted.

Fetterman led with 55.2% of the vote, well ahead of Lamb, who polled at 30.4%.

The Senate seat is open due to Sen. Pat Toomey’s (R-Pa.) retirement.

The hotly contested GOP Pennsylvania Senate primary has not yet been called.

Key Background

Fetterman is known for sporting an unconventional look for a politician, but the 6-foot-8, goateed and tattooed lieutenant governor, who often wore gym shorts on the campaign trail, was a hit among Democratic primary voters. Politically, Fetterman positioned himself to the left of Lamb, a moderate. The lieutenant governor backed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) presidential bid in 2016 and has endorsed numerous progressive positions, like eliminating the filibuster, raising the minimum wage and legalizing marijuana.

What To Watch For

The open Pennsylvania seat may perhaps be Democrats’ best chance this fall to flip a Senate seat that previously belonged to a Republican, in what’s otherwise expected to be a poor midterm showing for the party. The Cook Politico Report, Sabato’s Crystal Ball and RealClearPolitics all rate the Pennsylvania Senate race as a tossup.

Tangent

Fetterman, 52, suffered a stroke on Friday, which prevented him from campaigning in the final days leading up to Tuesday’s election. Fetterman said Sunday he felt “much better” and was on the “way to a full recovery.”

Further Reading

How ‘Just a Dude’ in Shorts Became a Senate Front-Runner (New York Times)