Pa. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman makes U.S. Senate run official

Pennsylvania Democratic Lt. Gov. John Fetterman officially launched his campaign for U.S. Senate on Monday.

“Now, it’s my turn,” Fetterman said on Twitter early Monday morning. “Let’s get to work.”

“This will be the most important Senate race in 2022, so we need to build as much early momentum as possible to kick our campaign off strong,” Fetterman said on a site soliciting donations for his campaign.

Entering this third year as lieutenant governor, Fetterman began exploring a run for federal office in January, after saying he was not interested in running for governor.

Incumbent U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, has said he won’t run again. This will be Fetterman’s second run for the Senate. He sought the Democratic nomination in 2016, but came in third in the primary behind the ultimate Democratic nominee Katie McGinty and Joe Sestak. Toomey defeated McGinty in the November election that year.

“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,” Fetterman said in a statement announcing his campaign.

“I believe in the dignity of work and the dignity of a paycheck. I believe the union way of life is sacred,” he said. “I believe in health care 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.”

Thank you to the 37,000 grassroots donors who stepped up.

Now, it's my turn.

Let's get to work https://t.co/6ZiSPrhnpS pic.twitter.com/rvjKE6z0Y3

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) February 8, 2021

According to CNN, other candidates rumored to be eyeing a Democratic primary run for the Senate seat include U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb of Mt. Lebanon, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, state Sen. Sharif Street, state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, and U.S. Rep. Chrissy Houlahan.

Fetterman filed paperwork to run for Senate with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday.

Formerly mayor of Braddock for 14 years, Fetterman was elected the state’s lieutenant governor in 2018.

During his run for lieutenant governor, the 6-foot, 8-inch Fetterman was noted for dropping 148 pounds from his imposing frame, which he credited to cutting grains and sugar from his diet and walking.