Pennsylvania’s Lt. Governor John Fetterman wants you to know he’s not your typical politician. Now he’s hoping his unorthodox campaign will help Democrats win the Keystone State’s all-important U.S. Senate race.
However, a 2013 incident involving a shotgun and a black man has haunted his campaign. The controversy is unlikely to go away anytime soon, especially given his changing story and unwillingness to apologize.
Instead, the physically imposing Democrat is fighting back with a new talking point, arguing he made a “split-second decision” as “Braddock’s chief law enforcement officer and as the mayor.”
NBC News reports:
John Fetterman said he heard what sounded like gunfire and saw a man running away. So he reacted by getting his kid inside to safety before he called 911.
What Fetterman did next, however, still haunts him nine years later as he campaigns for the Democratic nomination for the Senate in Pennsylvania: He chased the man down with a shotgun and detained him until police arrived.
It turned out that the man was jogging and wearing running clothes. According to a police report, the man was unarmed and said the sound of gunfire was actually fireworks, although two witnesses thought they heard shots.
The man Fetterman pulled a gun on is Black. Fetterman — the mayor of the Pittsburgh-area borough of Braddock at the time and now the state’s lieutenant governor — is white. Fetterman, 52, said he couldn’t tell the jogger’s race initially because of how he was bundled up in the winter cold.
Democrats worry Fetterman’s actions and refusal to say he’d do anything different will depress African American turnout in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia in the general election should he win the May 17 primary.
When challenged by his primary opponents, U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, in a televised debate Thursday night, Fetterman pivoted and argued that he effectively addressed gun violence in Braddock during his time as mayor. “I attacked the gun violence problem in Braddock, and we succeeded,” he said on the debate stage before emphasizing that there were no gun deaths during five of his 13 years as mayor.
The National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) continues to capitalize on the ongoing controversy.
Per the NRSC:
John Fetterman’s 2013 incident continues to morph every time Fetterman is asked about his checkered past that he can’t seem to outrun.
This time around, he’s started calling himself Braddock’s chief law enforcement officer when all of this occurred. According to NBC, “Fetterman’s suggestion that he was acting under color of law are a new talking point that stands in contrast to his initial comments about the 2013 incident.”
Interesting. Why does his story change every time he’s asked about the incident? What is he hiding?
Statement from NRSC Spokeswoman Lizzie Litzow: “Fetterman can’t seem to outrun the 2013 incident – it has taken center stage in his campaign for Senate. But it’s a different defense every time he brings it up. What is he hiding? Unfortunately for Fetterman this story won’t be going away anytime soon, so he better smooth out the wrinkles in his story before it’s too late.”
According to the RealClearPolitics polling average, Fetterman enjoys a commanding 23.5-point lead in the Democratic primary. On the Republican side, the race is neck and neck between businessman David McCormick and television personality Mehmet Oz, better known as Dr. Oz.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
Donny Ferguson is a professional fundraiser and organizational manager. Born and raised in Texas, he has lived in Washington, D.C. for 16 years. Ferguson also served as Senior Communications and Policy Adviser in the United States House of Representatives, operating one of Capitol Hill's most effective media operations.
Typical lying, flip flopping commie dem. DO NOT VOTE EARLY; DO NOT VOTE BY MAIL. Vote only on the day of, in person and on a paper ballot.