PITTSBURGH — John Fetterman, the liberal Pennsylvania lieutenant governor who won his state’s Democratic nomination for Senate on Tuesday, appeared to be cruising towards what will be one of the most closely monitored general elections in the country this fall. Then a stroke disrupted his plans.
Mr. Fetterman, the six-foot-tall, hoodie-wearing former mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, was not a favorite of the party establishment, but he poked fun at some progressive voters and a larger portion of the Democratic electorate who embraced his blunt vote. . spoken, accessible style and welcomed his promises to fight aggressively for party priorities in Washington.
“I’m just doing my thing,” he said in an interview last week. “I’m just a guy who shows up and just talks about what I believe in, you know?”
After canceling campaign events on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Mr Fetterman, 52, announced he had suffered a stroke, was recovering and had no cognitive impairment.
He was still in the hospital on Tuesday, when his campaign announced that he would undergo “a standard procedure to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator,” adding: “It should be a short procedure that will help his heart.” protect and address the underlying cause of his stroke.”
It was unclear when he might resume the campaign.
The health crisis spread far beyond Pennsylvania. Democrats have a majority in the Senate only thanks to the casting vote of Vice President Kamala Harris. The party’s vulnerability was highlighted when New Mexico Senator Ben Ray Luján suffered a stroke in January.
It also seemed shocking given Mr. Fetterman’s powerful image; he was often dressed as if he had just left the gym.
“He may not look like a Senate candidate for New York or California, but he’s fine for Pennsylvania,” said Ed Rendell, a former Democratic governor of the state. “He is a very credible candidate for the working class.”
Mr. Fetterman, who has a degree from Harvard Kennedy School, served as mayor of Braddock for 13 years, where he drew attention for his efforts to revive a struggling steel town — and critically watch an episode from 2013 in which he brandished a shotgun to stop an unarmed black jogger and told police he had heard gunshots.
He unsuccessfully ran for the Senate in 2016, but gained an enthusiastic following, then defeated a sitting party to win his party’s nomination for lieutenant governor in 2018. In that role, he continued to have an active presence in the state, building brand awareness that was instrumental in his primary win.
“He spent a lot of time in communities across the state,” said Pennsylvania Senator Bob Casey, who did not side in the primaries. “That’s something he’s been able to build on.”
Mr Fetterman also made a name for himself in national progressive circles, receive the approval from Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in 2018 after supporting Mr. Sanders’ 2016 presidential primary bid. And he gained new prominence among a wider range of voters as a cable television fixture when Pennsylvania’s 2020 votes were counted.
Several months later, he ran in the Senate primaries, becoming the first major Democratic candidate to enter the race, gaining an overwhelming advantage in raising money on his closest rivals.
Mr. Fetterman campaigned on issues such as raising the minimum wage, promoting criminal justice reform and supporting voting rights, abortion rights and protection for LGBTQ people.
But he attracted just as much attention for his style, and some saw him as adept at connecting with working-class voters. He preferred basketball shorts and sweatshirts to button-downs and khakis and spent a lot of time campaigning in rural working classes who overwhelmingly voted for former President Donald J. Trump, hoping to improve Democratic margins in those areas.
Mr. Fetterman has repeatedly described himself as progressive in the past, but in the Senate race he did not seek the left-wing mantle. He rejected a suggestion last week that he would join the “Squad,” a group of left-wing members of Congress, if he wins.
However, Republicans and some Democrats believe he may be vulnerable to criticism for being too far to the left for one of the country’s most divided states, and especially for its more centrist suburbs, which have been vital to the recent Democratic gain in the state.
“It’s good that Fetterman is going to these areas where the Democrats have done poorly in these Republican counties, but I think his bigger challenge will be these suburban communities,” said former Representative Charlie Dent, a Republican from Pennsylvania who said he voted for President Biden.
Mr Dent warned that Mr Fetterman is seen by some as a ‘Bernie Sanders Democrat’.
The lieutenant governor lives in Braddock with his three children and his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, the second lady of Pennsylvania, who embraced the acronym “SLOP” and who, like Mr Fetterman, is active on social media.
She insisted that he be examined Friday after he felt unwell, the Fettermans said.
His campaign said Monday that Mr Fetterman had been “re-evaluated by the neurologist who reiterated once again that John will make a full recovery.”