John Fetterman is the best choice to represent Pennsylvania’s priorities in the U.S. Senate | Endorsement

By many measures, the first two years of the Biden administration have been fruitful for Pennsylvania.

The president’s plan to slash prescription-drug costs for older Americans directly benefits 73,000 Pennsylvanians, fifth most of any state in the nation. The commonwealth stands to receive more than $2.5 billion to repair highways and bridges this year under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. And the Inflation Reduction Act includes provisions to mitigate the harms of climate change through more than a quarter billion dollars in new clean-energy investments statewide through the end of the decade.

There is still much more work to be done in Washington on issues that Pennsylvanians care about, including protecting abortion rights and restoring the enhanced child tax credit, which reduced hunger and poverty in our state and across the nation. These initiatives and others could potentially stall in Congress’ divided upper house. That is just one reason why it is crucial for Pennsylvania voters to elect John Fetterman to the U.S. Senate in November.

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In the Democratic primary in May, this board chose to endorse Conor Lamb for the seat being vacated by Pat Toomey. Lamb’s positions on such issues as abortion rights, the filibuster, the child tax credit, and other matters of public policy largely aligned with our own. At the time, Fetterman also struggled to demonstrate sufficient reflection about a 2013 episode in which he drew a shotgun on an unarmed Black man who Fetterman, then mayor of Braddock, Pa., wrongly suspected had been involved in a shooting.

In a recent interview ahead of the Nov. 8 election, Fetterman was more contemplative about the incident. While he still defends his split-second reaction — which he said was driven by a feeling of responsibility as mayor to keep residents safe after hearing gun shots, he also said that he has a better understanding of the impact of racial profiling. As lieutenant governor, he has made equity in criminal justice a priority.

Fetterman also shows signs of recovery from the stroke he suffered May 13 — four days before the Pennsylvania primary. Fetterman’s continued recovery should not be inherently disqualifying. A few sitting U.S. senators, including Ray Lujan and Chris Van Hollen, have successfully served after suffering strokes. Arlen Specter, the former Philadelphia district attorney and Pennsylvania’s longest-serving U.S. senator, continued to hold office for 18 years after brain surgery in 1993.

There is no reason Fetterman cannot serve effectively after his stroke.

There is no reason Fetterman cannot serve effectively after his stroke. Fetterman said that one of the most significant challenges of his recovery involves auditory processing — a condition in which his comprehension of certain words and phrases is occasionally delayed. During interviews, Fetterman does often take a few seconds to ensure that he has understood a questioner correctly — and he may take a couple of moments more to collect his thoughts and find the right words — but that should not significantly impair him from performing in his role as a senator. Fetterman knows what his values are and is capable of communicating them.

The same cannot be said for his opponent, Mehmet Oz, a man wholly unprepared to be Pennsylvania’s U.S. senator. Oz has refused to commit to opposing a national abortion ban, opposes the expanded child tax credit, would repeal the Affordable Care Act, and would vote against red flag gun-control laws. Those positions are all reversals from views that Oz held as a Republican just a few years ago. If there are any values that Oz holds dear, it is difficult to ascertain what they are.

Oz’s resumé is also notably devoid of any significant record of public service. A celebrity doctor who once had his own television program, Oz spent much of his career touting miracle cures.

Oz’s supporters within the Republican Party have sought to bill him as a sensible moderate and have contrasted him with Doug Mastriano, the GOP’s nominee for Pennsylvania governor, who pals around with self-proclaimed prophets and antisemites. Being considered more in touch with reality than Doug Mastriano is a low bar, indeed.

Oz has also not challenged any of his party’s most concerning priorities. He has cozied up to former President Donald Trump, who endorsed Oz in the primary. Oz has said that he would have voted to acquit Trump during his second impeachment after the insurrection of Jan. 6, 2021 — a statement that is particularly disconcerting given that the former president is considering another White House run in 2024.

Fetterman, 53, was reared in York and has said he was headed for a career in insurance before the death of a friend in a car crash prompted him to enter public service. After earning a master’s degree at Harvard, he moved to Braddock, a borough about 8 miles from Pittsburgh, and started a program to help high school dropouts before he served four terms as mayor.

During his senatorial campaign, Fetterman has talked expansively about embracing a role as “the 51st vote” Democrats need to pass key legislation, but his contributions would extend far beyond being a reliable plus-one for his party. As a result of his time as lieutenant governor and mayor of Braddock, Fetterman would bring to Washington a ground-level appreciation for the challenges facing Pennsylvanians, and he understands the importance of advocating for the state through federal legislation.

An experienced public servant, Fetterman has an abundance of the kind of values and priorities that are needed to move the nation forward — and to earn this board’s support. The Inquirer endorses John Fetterman for U.S. Senate.