John Fetterman

John Fetterman (2019)

John Fetterman (* 15. August 1969 in Reading , Pennsylvania ) is an American politician of the Democratic Party , and since 15 January 2019 Deputy Governor of Pennsylvania. He was previously Mayor of Braddock Township since 2005 .

Career

Education, job and political commitment

Fetterman at a talk in 2009

Fetterman, who grew up mostly in York , comes from a humble background and studied business administration at the University of Connecticut . He completed his studies with a master’s degree . He then worked in the insurance industry. Influenced by the accidental death of a friend, he began to get involved in social activities, as part of a social project he took care of a boy suffering from AIDS, whose father died prematurely. Later Fetterman moved to the community Braddock, a suburb of Pittsburgh ( Allegheny County ). There he was involved in a full-time position for young people with problematic backgrounds. He also became a point of contact for other young people on site, for example helping them to find a job. In 2005, the Democrat successfully ran for the post of mayor of the 2000-inhabitant community. He won this election by a single vote. In 2009, 2013 and 2017 he was re-elected for a further four years. As mayor, Fetterman also focused on local youth development, among other things. In cooperation with supraregional non-profit organizations , he also succeeded in creating affordable housing on behalf of the city by purchasing real estate.

Senate candidacy 2016

His work as mayor brought Fetterman increasing popularity beyond the city limits. In 2016, he ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary for a seat in the United States Senate . Nevertheless, with 20% of the votes against much better-known applicants, his performance was rated as a respectable success. In his election campaign, Fetterman focused primarily on a fairer distribution of wealth, the fight against lobbying and liberal social values. During the primary campaign for the 2016 presidential election , he supported Bernie Sanders .

Candidate for Vice Governor 2018

In November 2017, he declared his candidacy for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania in the Democratic primary. During his campaign, Fetterman was mainly supported by the left wing Democrats and many young people. In addition, he also received nominations from prominent figures such as former Governor Ed Rendell and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont . At the primary on May 15, 2018, Fetterman prevailed surprisingly clearly against four competitors with 38% of the vote. Especially in the western part of the state, he was able to convince many democratic voters. Among other things , he defeated the incumbent Lieutenant Governor Mike Stack , who only reached fourth place with just over 16% of the vote. Stack had recently come under pressure from a series of controversies and had also fallen out with Governor Tom Wolf . During his election campaign, however, Fetterman refrained from direct attacks against his opponents and focused on his political goals. With his victory in the primary, Fetterman competed as Governor Wolf's running mate in the actual election on November 6, 2018 against the Republican duo of Scott Wagner and Jeff Bartos. Wolf was nominated by his party on the same day without an opposing candidate (the internal party primaries for the governor and his deputy take place separately in Pennsylvania, while in the main election both can only be voted together as a ticket ). Fetterman's surprisingly clear victory received national coverage in the US media; some press reviews already described him as a “rising star” of the Democrats who could score points with the working class in the Midwest and the so-called rust belt . In particular, that group of white workers had turned their backs on the Democrats in the course of the 2016 presidential election and voted for Donald Trump (on the other hand, Fetterman is also very popular among African Americans in Braddock). Governor Wolf congratulated Fetterman on his success and said he looked forward to working with him.

In the gubernatorial election on November 6, 2018, Wolf and Fetterman clearly won with more than 57% of the vote.

Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania

John Fetterman taking the oath to serve as lieutenant governor in the Pennsylvania Senate Plenary on January 15, 2019

John Fetterman with his wife Gisele (right), Governor Tom Wolf (center left) and his wife Frances (left) in January 2019

John Fetterman was sworn in as Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania on January 15, 2019. On the same day, Governor Tom Wolf began his second term as head of state of the state. As Lieutenant Governor, Fetterman is Vice Governor and President of the Senate of Pennsylvania by virtue of his office . There he only has the right to vote in the event of a stalemate.

Political classification

Fetterman belongs to the left wing of the Democratic Party and describes himself as a progressive . According to his own statement, his main focus is on improving the status of workers and employees as well as a stronger focus of politics on rural areas. This has been neglected in the past few decades, which is also the reason for Donald Trump's success in the Rust Belt . Fetterman would like to tie these groups of voters back to the Democrats. One of his central themes is the demand for a more balanced tax policy , in which lower and middle incomes should be relieved and the wealthy should be taxed higher. He also speaks out in favor of raising the minimum wage to US $ 15 an hour. Governor Tom Wolf had also called for this so far, but failed in the implementation due to the Republican majority in the General Assembly . In the area of health policy, Fetterman calls for the introduction of general health insurance , which should guarantee insurance coverage for all citizens (for example by expanding Medicaid to all citizens). Fetterman advocates liberal positions on socio-political issues: He advocates same-sex marriage and the possibility that illegal immigrants who have not committed a criminal offense can receive a permanent right to stay in the USA and receive US citizenship . In particular, those who illegally immigrated to the USA with their parents as children should be able to stay in the country permanently (see DACA ). In addition, he calls for an end to the “war on drugs”, which he believes has failed. Legal measures are also intended to better protect minorities such as African Americans against any kind of discrimination.

Private

John Fetterman is married with three children. His wife Gisele is the daughter of Brazilian immigrants and came to the USA illegally with her parents as a child. He lives with his family in a converted factory building in Braddock, which used to be a workshop . Outwardly, Fetterman stands out due to his above-average height of 203 cm and a tattoo on his arm with the number 15104, the postal code of Braddock. He also usually wears a black shirt and jeans. In the run-up to his election as lieutenant governor, however, he would maintain a more formal dress style, said Fetterman for the case of his election.