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Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Fetterman announces run for U.S. Senate

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman launched a campaign Monday for U.S. Senate in 2022.

Fetterman, a Democrat, will be looking to fill the seat that Republican Sen. Pat Toomey will vacate when he leaves office next year.

On Thursday, Fetterman filed procedural paperwork with the Federal Election Commission.

He announced in January he was exploring the possibility of a Senate run.

Fetterman’s website now has information for people to support him for Senate.

Fetterman released the following statement Monday morning:

“I’m running for the United States Senate for the same reason I ran for Lieutenant Governor in 2018 and Mayor of Braddock 16 years ago, because I believe in a set of core truths. I believe in the dignity of work and the dignity of a paycheck. I believe the union way of life is sacred. I believe in healthcare as a fundamental, basic human right. I believe in environmental justice, I believe our criminal justice system needs a significant overhaul. I believe that the war on drugs needs to stop and we need to legalize marijuana across this country. I believe that the LGBTQIA community deserves the same rights and protections that the rest of us enjoy in this country. I believe that every community and every county in Pennsylvania is worth fighting for. As a member of the United States Senate, I will never stop fighting for these core values and these communities, just as I have for the last 20 years.”

Fetterman said he’s pushing for higher minimum wage, improved healthcare, immigration protections, LGBTQIA rights and decriminalizing the use of marijuana.

“I’m running for the Senate because of those same core values. That’s why I showed up here in Braddock 20 years ago. And whether that’s minimum wage, whether that’s healthcare as a fundamental human right, whether that is ending the crazy war on drugs here in communities of color,” Fetterman told Channel 11 News.

He hopes his message carries beyond party lines.