On February 8th, Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania John Fetterman announced his decision to run for the Pennsylvania Seat of the U.S Senate. Fetterman, a Democrat, has served as the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania since January 15, 2019, and he previously served as the Mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania. He has received national notoriety for his open opposition to Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the results of the November 3rd election in Pennsylvania, as well as his straight-forward manner of giving interviews. 

 Fetterman is an unusual face in politics: he is 6’8”, tattooed, and usually opts out of wearing formal attire to carry his duties. His image resembles a lot of the Blue-collar workers of Western Pennsylvania; a voting group that has increasingly voted more Republican over the past few elections, and one Fetterman hopes to gain back. Although Fetterman is already looking like a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination, other potential candidates could pose a challenge to the Lieutenant Governor’s aspirations including Congresswoman Chrissy Houlahan, Congressman Brendan Boyle, Congressman Conor Lamb, and Attorney General Josh Shapiro.

The Senate seat Fetterman is hoping to win is currently occupied by Republican Pat Toomey. However, Toomey has announced his retirement from the Senate, making the seat open for any party to grab. Democrats would hope to win the seat expand their thin 50-50 majority (with Vice-President Harris acting as a tie-breaker), while Republicans would need to retain the seat if they hope to potentially gain back the Senate majority they recently lost. However, the 2022 election will be a midterm election under President Biden and historically, the party of the incumbent President has struggled in midterms. This could pose a challenge to Fetterman, and other Democrats, who hope to gain the seat.

Some speculation has arisen over which type of nominee the Pennsylvania GOP will nominate: a moderate Republican, or a more populist, Trump-like candidate. On the moderate side, former Congressman Ryan Costello is apparently eyeing a run for the seat. Costello previously represented Pennsylvania’s 6th Congressional District, a mostly-suburban district, but he decided to opt-out of re-election after his district was redrawn due to gerrymandering. On the more Trump-esque side, Congressman Scott Perry of the 10th Congressional district could become the nominee for the seat. Perry has recently received criticism for his efforts to overturn the election.

Nevertheless, this Senate election will most likely become one of the most important ones in 2022. Pennsylvania, a key swing state, could decide which party controls the U.S Senate, meaning it will have a massive impact on the Biden Presidency, and the country as a whole. It will also be the first time where most of Abington’s Class of 2022, as well as some in the Class of 2023, will be able to vote in a federal election.