John Fetterman is a politician. He is a member of the Democratic Party and has been serving as the junior United States senator from Pennsylvania since 2023. Before his current position, he held the role of mayor in Braddock, Pennsylvania, from 2006 to 2019, and later served as the 34th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania from 2019 to 2023.
Known for his progressive and populist stance, Fetterman advocates for healthcare as a fundamental right, criminal justice reform, the abolition of capital punishment, an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour, and the legalization of cannabis.
Fetterman pursued a finance degree at Albright College and earned an MBA from the University of Connecticut. He entered the insurance industry before joining AmeriCorps and obtaining a Master of Public Policy degree from Harvard University.
His involvement with AmeriCorps brought him to Braddock in 2004, where he was elected mayor in 2005. During his mayoral tenure, Fetterman focused on revitalizing the former steel town through initiatives such as art and youth programs.
Fetterman’s political journey includes a run for the U.S. Senate in 2016, finishing third in the Democratic primary. He successfully ran for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania in 2018, winning the Democratic primary and the subsequent election with incumbent governor Tom Wolf.
Notably, Fetterman gained national attention for his efforts to legalize cannabis statewide and for opposing President Donald Trump’s unfounded claims of election fraud in Pennsylvania.
In 2021, Fetterman announced his candidacy for the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania, securing the Democratic nomination with 59% of the vote. He went on to defeat Republican nominee Mehmet Oz in the general election. Fetterman officially assumed his role as a U.S. senator on January 3, 2023, leading to his resignation as lieutenant governor.