Gisele Fetterman steps into campaign after husband's stroke: ‘I didn't have to think twice’

The whirlwind of the previous five days finally caught up with Gisele Fetterman on Wednesday at a rest stop along the Pennsylvania Turnpike.

Pennsylvania’s second lady, taking advantage of a rare moment of calm, fell asleep while sitting on a bench inside the rest stop. Her children couldn’t help but snap a photo of their napping mother, who had been a blur in motion since late the week before.

Her husband, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, suffered a stroke last week and was resting in a Lancaster County hospital after recovering from a procedure to place a pacemaker with a defibrillator on his heart. The stroke happened just four days before Pennsylvania’s primary, in which John Fetterman was one of four candidates seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

Thanks to Gisele Fetterman, the campaign didn’t slow down.

She acted as a proxy candidate in the waning days of the campaign, taking questions from local and national news media in Braddock and providing updates on her husband’s medical status. She even held a election watch party as the tallies came in Tuesday night, which showed her husband winning all 67 Pennsylvania counties and coasting to the Democratic nomination.

“John has been such a rock and support for our family. And this was the moment that I needed to step in,” Gisele said, noting that John took care of her and their three kids when she broke her foot eight years ago and required surgery. “I didn’t have to think twice, I just knew it was the right thing to do.”

All of this, while driving back and forth between Pittsburgh and the Lancaster County hospital. She said she and the children visited him after the election to celebrate his victory.

Gisele Fetterman said her husband is looking and feeling strong, even if he is impatient to be back on the campaign trail. She said last week that she noticed “a very quick change in his face” that didn’t look like a natural movement. After seeing that, she rushed him to the emergency room while they were campaigning in Lancaster County.

He was diagnosed Friday with a stroke caused by a clot from his heart being out of rhythm for an elongated period. On Tuesday, he underwent the procedure to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator.

Fetterman’s campaign said he was recovering well from the stroke, and the campaign wouldn’t be slowing down, even while he was resting in the hospital.

Since, Gisele Fetterman has used the opportunity to advocate for stroke prevention and awareness.

“Talk to your family about it. ‘Do you know what things to look for? How do you respond to it?’ ” she said. “Always err on the side of caution, because every minute counts.”

She said she never expected a medical emergency to come during the campaign, but her upbringing taught her to prepare for anything and react accordingly.

“That’s what you have to be prepared for. You never know what’s coming at any time,” she said.

Gisele, 40, was born in Brazil and immigrated to America when she was 7. She came to the country as an undocumented immigrant but became a U.S. citizen in 2009. She said her life growing up as an undocumented immigrant in the United States prepared her for moments when she needs to adapt quickly.

She grew up in New York City. Having to learn a new language and adapt to a new culture at a young age taught her resiliency, she said. Her mother worked cleaning hotels, and people didn’t always treat her family well.

“Being undocumented, my family and I, we were living in survival mode,” she said. “I think a part of me kind of is always in survival mode. I’ve never really thought down the road too far ahead. What’s in front of me today, and then tomorrow? I will try to do the same thing again.”

She has used her ability to run several initiatives in the Pittsburgh area. In 2015, she co-founded 412 Food Rescue, a nonprofit focused on eliminating food waste. She also helped run the Free Store in Braddock, which takes in donated, surplus goods and redistributes them to families in need. She also has been a strong advocate for immigration reform.

Mike Mikus, a Pittsburgh-area Democratic consultant who has worked on many campaigns over the years, said Gisele Fetterman is a great asset to her husband’s campaign. He said having a spouse in a U.S. Senate race step up so effectively is rare, and she provides an extra boost because she can become a spokeswoman and help the campaign be two places at once.

“Pennsylvania is a big state, and a candidate can’t be everywhere at the same time,” Mikus said. “Gisele really has the ability to be an effective speaker anywhere. In the end, voters are going to vote for the candidate on the ballot, which is John, but she can do a very good job of delivering the message all across the state.”

Mikus added that Gisele Fetterman would be a strong political candidate in her own right.

She said she is glad that people see her as a good spokesperson for her husband’s campaign, but she has no ambitions to run for office.

“No, that’s a hard no,” Gisele Fetterman said. “I want politics as far away from my personal career as possible.”

While she vowed not to run for office herself, she said she is always ready to step in for her husband when duty calls.

“I will jump in and act like I know I’m doing, but I hope that I can take a back seat for a little bit again, very soon,” she said.

Gisele Fetterman said she never expected to step in for her husband in such a prominent role during his campaign, but added that this is what families do when loved ones are in need, even if that can be exhausting at times.

“You know, families have to help families go through things,” she said. “And we just had to be ready to keep going. That said, I definitely need another nap.”