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John Fetterman returns to campaign trail in Erie

ERIE, Pa. — On Friday, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman returned to the political spotlight in Erie, PA. The rally is his first since suffering a stroke before the May primary.

The former mayor of Braddock told a crowd of more than 1000 people that he’s healthy enough to serve. He also laughed off a common criticism leveled at him by opponent Dr. Mehmet Oz, who often says Fetterman is campaigning from his basement.

“Glad I could fit 1400 people in my basement,” Fetterman said to laughs. “Three months ago, my life could’ve ended. It could’ve. But I’m so grateful to be here tonight.”

The address didn’t last much more than 10 minutes. Fetterman praised Erie, calling it a Bellwether.

“Two years ago, I was talking to the media and said, ‘You want to know who is going to be the next President?’ You know what I said? ‘Tell me who wins Erie. They win Pennsylvania,’” he said.

Fetterman scored 80% of Erie County’s vote in the primary.

There was little talk of issues, but the lieutenant governor briefly mentioned raising the minimum wage, abortion rights and fighting for the “union way of life.”

“Eliminate the filibuster. Eliminate the filibuster and let’s get some stuff done for Americans,” he said.

Fetterman’s return comes as his campaign is already on the upswing. Recent polling by FOX NEWS shows him leading Republican Oz by double-digit points.

“Have you seen some of the polls? Some of them up seven, eight, nine, 10 up to 15 points. It doesn’t matter. We’re up. We’re going to run like we’re down five points,” Fetterman said.

We did reach out to Oz. He sent us this statement:

“I’m over the moon, I really am. It’s hard to dance by yourself; it takes two to tango. I’d love to have him out there talking about what he wants to do to make Pennsylvania a better place. How are you going to deal with the pain that I’m hearing when I travel around Pennsylvania? What are you going to do about inflation, crime in our cities, or sanctuary cities? Help me understand how you’re going to help parents deal with some of the issues that they’re facing in schools. He’s never answered these questions, and it’s time he does.”

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