LG John Fetterman says he’s running for U.S. Senate

Capping weeks of build-up, Lt. Gov. John Fetterman announced today that he’s seeking the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate.

The Allegheny County pol announced his candidacy on Twitter, quipping that if voters send him to Washington, he will be “100 percent sedition-free.”

If you send me to the US Senate, I will always be 100% Sedition-Free.

We as a nation crossed lines I never thought we would-or even could.

My pledge to you: to hold core ideals like democracy + the peaceful transfer of power sacred, always. 🇺🇸

— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) February 8, 2021

Fetterman, the former mayor of Braddock, Pa., outside Pittsburgh unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination in 2016, finishing third in a three-way primary. Former Wolf administration aide, Kathleen McGinty, who won the nomination, ended up losing in November to U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa.

It's official: Pennsylvania Lt. Governor John Fetterman, a Democrat, is running for the state's open Senate seat in 2022. pic.twitter.com/tzPvMRyl2X

— Stephen Caruso (@StephenJ_Caruso) February 8, 2021

Last fall, Toomey announced his retirement from politics, blowing both the 2022 Senate field and the 2022 GOP field for governor wide open.

Fetterman bested former Lt. Gov. Mike Stack in the 2018 primary, becoming Gov. Tom Wolf’s second-in-command. In two years in the No. 2 spot, he’s used his office to advocate for the legalization of recreational cannabis and for criminal justice reform.

During last November’s protracted vote-count drama, Fetterman emerged as a public critic of Pennsylvania Republicans who were working to topple the state’s Electoral College result.

Fetterman doesn’t have the field all to himself. State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, D-Philadelphia, is reportedly weighing a bid. A former local official in Montgomery County, John McGuigan, announced his candidacy last week.

Capital-Star Staff Reporter Stephen Caruso contributed to this story.