What You Need to Know: John Fetterman

John Fetterman is trying to rebrand himself from a “true progressive” to “just a Democrat” as he goes head-to-head against the Republican nominee in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race.

But a quick look at his record shows that “progressive” has been a significant part of Fetterman’s identity for years, and he is much too radical for a state that Joe Biden only won by 1.2%.

Even Conor Lamb thinks so:

CNN: “[Lamb] argues that Fetterman is too risky to nominate – calling him ‘kind of out of the mainstream for the statewide level’ – at a time when the party in Pennsylvania is in peril. Lamb said that the ‘Democratic brand; in the state ‘actually didn’t do that well in 2020, even though we helped get President Biden elected, obviously, we lost ground in a lot of other ways.’”

Fetterman’s Progressive Identity

John Fetterman is a self-proclaimed progressive, and Democratic Party leaders have expressed concern over his radical stances.

York Daily Record: “Fetterman’s progressive stanceshave concerned some Democratic Party leaders who fear Republicans will stamp him with a ‘socialist’ tag in the general election and wary voters will avoid him.”

Fetterman has also been praised by left-wing publications for running “an unabashedly progressive campaign” and has been referred to as a “Bernie Sanders progressive.”

Fetterman’s Progressive Policies

Fetterman has not only called himself a progressive – he has the political agenda to back it up.

• On health care: Fetterman supports a “Medicare for All” system that would abolish private health insurance and could eliminate as many as 2 million jobs.
• On energy & the environment: Fetterman supports parts of AOC’s $93 trillion Green New Deal which was estimated to cost Pennsylvania families $70,000 per year and decimate the state’s energy sector.
• On the filibuster: Fetterman supports abolishing the filibuster in order to pass a large swath of liberal policies.
• On taxes: Fetterman supports Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s failed wealth tax hike, which would serve as a drag on the U.S. economy and slash the wages of hardworking Americans by $1.2 trillion.
  • In a Democratic debate this cycle, Fetterman claimed he was in favor of raising taxes on the rich but refused to provide details saying, “You know it when you see it.” His comment immediately sparked criticism from his Democratic colleagues.
• On immigration: Fetterman is an outspoken supporter of sanctuary cities, saying that they “ensure the safety and well-being of everybody.”
• On the economy: Fetterman supports a federally mandated $15 minimum wage, which could destroy 1.4 million U.S. jobs.
  • Fetterman has touted Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which experts have deemed as the “original sin” that drove inflation.
  • Fetterman has pledged his allegiance to Build Back Better, which would intensify inflation caused by government spending.

Bottom line: John Fetterman is trying to run away from himself because he knows his radical agenda doesn’t line up with where Pennyslvanians are on the issues.