John Fetterman

Fetterman's ancestors were Pennsylvania Dutch. They emigrated from Germany and settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th century. Fetterman was born at Reading Hospital in West Reading, Pennsylvania, to Karl and Susan Fetterman, both of whom were 19 years old. Eventually they moved to York, Pennsylvania, where Fetterman grew up and his father became a partner at an insurance firm. He grew up in an affluent suburb of York, and his parents were conservative Republicans. Fetterman has said he had a privileged upbringing. He said he "sleepwalked" as a young adult while playing four years of football in college, intending eventually to take over ownership of his father's business. In 1991, Fetterman graduated from Albright College, also his father's alma mater, with a bachelor's in finance. He also received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Connecticut (UConn) in 1993. For two years Fetterman worked in Pittsburgh as a risk-management underwriter for Chubb. Following the tragedy, Fetterman joined Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, pairing with an eight-year-old boy in New Haven, Connecticut, whose father had died from AIDS and whose mother was slowly dying from the disease. During his time as a mentor, Fetterman says he became "preoccupied with the concept of the random lottery of birth", and promised the boy's mother he would continue to look out for her son after she was gone. After beginning a corporate career at Chubb, an insurance firm, Fetterman joined the recently founded AmeriCorps in 1995 and was sent to teach Pittsburgh students pursuing their GEDs. He later attended Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, graduating in 1999 with a Master of Public Policy degree. In 2001, Fetterman led the creation of the Braddock Out-of-School-Youth Program, helping local youth earn their GEDs. He moved to Braddock in 2004. ==Mayor of Braddock (2006–2019)==

Elections Fetterman ran for mayor of Braddock against the incumbent, Pauline Abdullah, in 2005. With backing from the town's young residents, he won the Democratic primary by a single vote. Fetterman won the general election; he did not face a Republican opponent. During the campaign, Cox attacked him for failing to build consensus with the town council. Tenure Fetterman served as the part-time mayor of Braddock and the full-time director of the city's youth program. He also founded a nonprofit organization, Braddock Redux, which he used to acquire and save properties in Braddock. Fetterman's father helped subsidize Fetterman financially because the position of mayor paid only $150 per month. Fetterman has several tattoos related to the Braddock community. On his left arm are the numbers 15104—Braddock's ZIP Code—and on the right are the dates of nine murders that occurred in the town while he was mayor. After his first election, one of Fetterman's first acts was to set up a website for Braddock showing the town's mostly neglected and destroyed buildings. The church was later turned into the town's community center. To help fund programs, Fetterman established relationships with local nonprofit organizations, Allegheny County's economic development program, and then-county executive Dan Onorato. Inspired by Fetterman's call, a group of Brooklyn residents moved to Braddock and transformed an abandoned church into an art center. But Braddock's redevelopment raised concerns about gentrification. To avoid the town council's gridlock, Fetterman used his nonprofit to accomplish many of his ideas for Braddock; this approach limited citizens' input into the projects. The Braddock Hospital was Braddock's largest employer, and its closure left the town without a healthcare provider. Two years later, the club renamed itself "Club Elegance" and Fetterman unsuccessfully sought to have it shut down for violating Braddock's ordinance regarding acceptable locations for certain sexually oriented businesses. Fetterman cast only one vote during his tenure as mayor. In 2012, he voted to help the borough council choose a president. Starting in 2013, Fetterman began defying a 1996 Pennsylvania law that banned same-sex marriage and began to marry LGBT couples inside his home. In 2013, Fetterman and celebrity chef Kevin Sousa established a restaurant in Braddock, something the town had lacked. The restaurant opened in 2017, but closed in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Mayor Chardaé Jones, Fetterman's successor, criticized the restaurant for closing after only a few years and having received a Paycheck Protection Program loan for $190,000 in 2020. The jogger, Chris Miyares, a Black American, said that what Fetterman thought were gunshots were kids shooting bottle rockets. Fetterman said no debris had been found. Fetterman's campaign denied allegations of racism, claiming that Miyares was wearing a black sweatsuit and mask, so Fetterman could not have identified his race or gender. Media coverage and criticism Fetterman's efforts to create youth-oriented programs, revitalize his town, and attract artists and other "creatives" to his community were featured in The New York Times. A 2009 article in The Guardian called him "America's coolest mayor". Fetterman appeared on the Colbert Report on February 25, 2009, discussing the economic difficulties Braddock faced due to a decreasing population, plummeting real estate values, and bankruptcy. He also questioned why funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 could not be used to support projects such as those in Braddock. During Fetterman's mayoral tenure, several Braddock residents, including the members of the town council, criticized him for his media appearances that emphasized what they saw as unflattering aspects of the town. Jesse Brown, Braddock's former town council president, said Fetterman "needs to tone down his rhetoric about the community and the bad shape the community is in and the devastation of the housing... If he feels that the community is bankrupt, then he needs to go somewhere where he'd like it." In 2018, Tony Buba, a Braddock-based filmmaker, said Fetterman was "this big presence, and everyone thinks he's John Wayne, [but it is] not that simple." Buba pointed out that while Fetterman was mayor, Braddock's population had stagnated, and while the average income had grown, it was still only $25,000 per household. ==Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania (2019–2023)==

Elections 2018 On November 14, 2017, Fetterman announced that he would run for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania, challenging, among others, incumbent lieutenant governor Mike Stack. Stack was seen as a vulnerable incumbent after the Pennsylvania inspector general launched an investigation into Stack regarding allegations that he mistreated his staff and Pennsylvania state troopers. Fetterman was endorsed by Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, Pittsburgh mayor Bill Peduto and former Pennsylvania governor and Philadelphia mayor Ed Rendell. On May 15, Fetterman won the Democratic primary for lieutenant governor with 38% of the vote. He was a part of the Democratic ticket along with incumbent governor Tom Wolf. On November 6, 2018, Wolf and Fetterman defeated the Republican ticket of Scott Wagner and Jeff Bartos in the general election. Tenure chamber. Fetterman was sworn into office as the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania on January 15, 2019, replacing Mike Stack. One of the first tasks Governor Tom Wolf gave him was to look into legalizing marijuana statewide. After completing his tour, he published a report on his findings.In a show of support for marijuana legalization and the LGBTQ+ community, Fetterman hung the pride flag and a flag with a marijuana leaf from his office's balcony, which overlooks the state capitol. State employees removed them when an omnibus bill, signed into law by Wolf, banned unauthorized flags on capitol property. Fetterman continued to defy the law by flying the flags outside his office. From his inauguration in January 2019 until May 2022, Fetterman's official schedule was blank for one-third of workdays. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Fetterman ran the Board of Pardons "with the heart of an activist and, at times, the force of a bully". As lieutenant governor, Fetterman announced "a coordinated effort for a one-time, large-scale pardoning project for people with select minor, nonviolent marijuana criminal convictions". and that he "can sue a ham sandwich" in response to Trump threatening to file lawsuits in Pennsylvania alleging voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election in Pennsylvania, defeating Trump by less than 81,000 votes. Trump's claims of voter fraud led to a challenge of the results, and Texas attorney general Ken Paxton filed suit to overturn the election results in Pennsylvania and other states. Supporting that effort, Texas lieutenant governor Dan Patrick offered a reward of $1,000,000 to anyone who could prove a case of fraud in the affected states. Fetterman responded by certifying that Pennsylvania had discovered three cases of voter fraud; two men had cast ballots as their dead mothers (both for Trump), and another had voted on behalf of his son as well as himself (also for Trump). Fetterman said that Patrick should pay $1 million for each of these cases. He said he was proud to announce that Trump "got 100% of the dead mother vote" in Pennsylvania. Fetterman's lampooning of the alleged voting fraud received nationwide publicity. == U.S. Senate (2023–present) ==

Elections 2016 On September 14, 2015, Fetterman announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate seat held by Pat Toomey in the 2016 election. His campaign was considered a long shot against two better-known candidates, Katie McGinty and Joe Sestak, the 2010 Democratic nominee for Senate. Fetterman was endorsed by former Maryland governor Martin O'Malley, former Pennsylvania treasurer Barbara Hafer, and the PennLive editorial board. Fetterman's campaign focused on progressive values and building support through grassroots movement, drawing comparisons to Bernie Sanders. He was the only statewide Democratic candidate in Pennsylvania to endorse Sanders in the 2016 Democratic presidential primaries. He accused the party-endorsed Katie McGinty of taking campaign contributions from the oil and gas industry. Though lacking statewide name recognition, low on campaign funds, and polling as low as 4% a week before the primary, Fetterman garnered 20% of the primary vote. Katie McGinty, who spent $4,312,688 on the primary and was endorsed by Barack Obama and many U.S. senators, finished ahead of former congressman and admiral Joe Sestak, who raised $5,064,849, with Fetterman raising $798,981 and finishing third. After the primary, Fetterman campaigned on behalf of McGinty, who lost to Toomey in the general election. 2022 In January 2021, Fetterman announced he was launching an exploratory committee for the 2022 U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania. On February 4, 2021, Fetterman filed a statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission declaring his intention to run for the Senate seat being vacated by Toomey. On February 8, 2021, he officially entered the race. Democratic primary Fetterman's main opponent in the Democratic primary was U.S. representative Conor Lamb. While the ad cited an NPR article that called Fetterman a socialist, The Philadelphia Inquirer wrote, "Fetterman has never actually described himself that way." Fetterman vowed that he "will NOT be a Joe Manchin or Kyrsten Sinema-type Senator". Fetterman won the Democratic primary by a landslide with 58.7% of the vote to Lamb's 26.3%. He won every county including Philadelphia County, but struggled to win much of the city's black vote—capturing just 18% of the vote in the majority-black precincts. General election In the general election, Fetterman faced Republican nominee Mehmet Oz, a celebrity television doctor. According to The Philadelphia Citizen, Fetterman employed a social media campaign strategy consisting of shitposting and internet memes. The Daily Beast reported that Oz's New Jersey residency, net worth, and connections to Trump were the focus of many of the memes. Criticizing Oz's previous residency in New Jersey became a particular hallmark of Fetterman's campaign, seeking to label Oz a carpetbagger. Efforts by the campaign to highlight Oz's New Jersey ties included enlisting New Jersey celebrities Snooki and Steven Van Zandt to record video messages aimed at Oz, and having a plane banner fly over the Jersey Shore reading, "Hey Dr. Oz: Welcome home to N.J.! ❤️ John." Fetterman's health was also a major issue in the campaign because he had suffered a stroke days before his primary victory. At an August 2022 rally in Erie, Fetterman appeared in public for the first time since recovering from his stroke; according to Politico, he "appeared physically healthy and mostly talked without any issues. At times, however, his speech was somewhat halted." As a result of his stroke, Fetterman required closed-captioning technology to read the questions as they were being asked out loud. This drew criticism from other reporters, who said Fetterman did not exhibit such difficulty in other interviews. In September 2022, Oz called on Fetterman to debate him before early voting began in Pennsylvania on September 19. Fetterman agreed to debate Oz in "the middle to end of October" but did not commit to an exact date or to a debate in September. Oz and Toomey criticized Fetterman's approach to the debate. The Washington Post wrote that it "raised questions about whether [Fetterman], still recovering from a serious stroke, is fit to serve in the Senate". On September 15, Oz and Fetterman agreed to a single debate on October 25. Politico reported that Fetterman struggled during the debate "to effectively communicate—missing words, pausing awkwardly and speaking haltingly", while The New York Times reported that "he was also fluent enough over the course of the hour to present his Democratic vision for a state that could determine control of the Senate". According to the Times, Fetterman was an uneven debater even before his stroke. Republicans seized on his appearances and behavior after the stroke to suggest that he was not fit for office; according to medical experts, speech impairment after a stroke does not indicate cognitive impairment. Senator Chris Coons said that the debate "was hard to watch" but that Pennsylvanians would still be attracted to Fetterman's candidacy because of his "record of what he's done in Braddock [and] as lieutenant governor". Although Fetterman led most pre-election polls, his debate performance and concerns about his health helped Oz take a narrow lead before the election. On November 9, media outlets projected Fetterman as the winner of the election. Fetterman won the election with 51.3% of the vote to Oz's 46.3%. Tenure Fetterman took office on January 3, 2023. At , he is the tallest currently serving senator. According to The New York Times, Fetterman's adjustment to the Senate was "extraordinarily challenging—even with the accommodations that have been made to help him adapt". To assist with Fetterman's stroke-related speech processing issues, the Senate chamber was outfitted with closed captioning technology at his desk and the front of the chamber. In February 2023, Fetterman attended his first Agriculture Committee hearing. He asked questions about trade and organic farming, but stumbled slightly over his words. Two days after his release he was hospitalized again, for a severe case of major depression. For about two months, Fetterman lived and worked at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. As part of his daily schedule at the hospital, his chief of staff arrived at 10 a.m. on weekdays with newspaper clips, statements for Fetterman to approve, and legislation to review. On April 17, 2023, Fetterman returned to the Senate to chair the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry subcommittee on food and nutrition, specialty crops, organics and research. The Washington Post said that Fetterman's "voice stumbled at times while reading from prepared notes" during the subcommittee hearing, but "he appeared in good spirits" and communicated a message about the importance of fighting hunger. Fetterman was among the five Senate Democrats who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023. He said his vote was motivated by the new SNAP requirements included in the deal, which raised the age of work requirements for able-bodied adults who do not live with any dependent children from under age 50 to under age 54. In October 2023, after federal prosecutors accused New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez of taking bribes, Fetterman was the first senator to call for him to be expelled. On November 5, 2024, Fetterman disrupted Jon Stewart's live election special on The Daily Show by canceling an interview 30 seconds before it was scheduled to air. After Trump won the 2024 United States presidential election, Fetterman expressed willingness to vote to confirm some of Trump's cabinet appointees, including Marco Rubio for Secretary of State, Pete Hegseth for Secretary of Defense, and Elise Stefanik for United States ambassador to the United Nations. He visited Trump's Mar-a-Lago complex and worked with Republicans on the Laken Riley Act. Fetterman was the only Democrat who voted to confirm Trump's nominee Pam Bondi as United States Attorney General. In December 2024, Fetterman asked Democrats to "chill out" after Trump won, saying, "If you're rooting against the president, you are rooting against the nation, and I'm not ever going to be where I want a president to fail. So country first." Fetterman expressed hesitation to condemn Trump's pardons of January 6 rioters, saying, "some people are very deserving of a second chance and get a pardon". He called on New York Governor Kathy Hochul to pardon Trump in his New York hush money case, which he said was politically motivated "bullshit" and compared to the Hunter Biden case. There were rumors that he might become a Republican or an Independent, which Fetterman called "amateur-hour shit". Since Trump's November victory, Fetterman has become a harsh critic of his own party, calling its brand "toxic", and has indicated that he is receptive to some Trump administration policies. He has also supported Trump's crackdown on college student protesters. He has hosted no town-hall-style events since Trump's inauguration. Fetterman has criticized the support of some Senate Democrats for Mahmoud Khalil over his opposition to the Gaza war, calling Columbia "kind of ground zero of that monoculture run amok [where the administration] allowed antisemitism to take to take over". Fetterman explained that on Thursdays he often checked in with his father, who was recovering from a heart attack, and preferred spending Mondays with his children instead of attending procedural votes. He also criticized hearings as largely a waste of time for low-seniority senators, quit the Democratic Caucus group chat, and does not attend its weekly lunch. Committee assignments • Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry • Subcommittee on Commodities, Risk Management, and Trade • Subcommittee on Food and Nutrition, Specialty Crops, Organics, and Research (chair) • Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs • Subcommittee on Economic Policy • Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection • Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development • Committee on Environment and Public Works • Subcommittee on Chemical Safety, Waste Management, Environmental Justice and Regulatory Oversight • Subcommittee on Transportation and Infrastructure • Joint Economic Committee • Special Committee on Aging'''''' ==Political positions==

Before running for the U.S. Senate, Fetterman was described as a social and fiscal progressive, including by himself, and was endorsed by Bernie Sanders. In 2022, The New York Times characterized Fetterman as "left-leaning". Fordham University political science professor Christina Greer described Fetterman, alongside New York City Mayor Eric Adams, as "simultaneously progressive, moderate and conservative". After Fetterman rejected the progressive label again in 2023, NBC News called his ideology an "unorthodox brand of blue-collar liberalism, with a dash of outsider populism." In 2024, Fetterman said in an interview with Bill Maher that his stroke gave him the freedom to leave progressivism, and called it "very liberating". In 2024, a number of commentators said that Fetterman's views on Israel had shifted to the right and were more in line with those of Republicans. By mid-2025, Fetterman had made a number of moves that were characterized as becoming closer to Trump while repeatedly criticizing Democrats. The New York Times reported that he had grown "more conservative, mostly on Israel, but also on a range of other issues." Trump has since praised Fetterman, calling him the "most sensible" Democratic senator, which Fetterman said made his Republican family "proud". In a 2025 interview with the Financial Times, Fetterman said that progressives had won the 2024 election for Trump and are "intent" on doing it again, adding, "Some of the most extreme voices now are coming from the far-blue places that are removed from the real fight—and that's down in the important states that decide who's going to win the White House." Abortion In a Democratic primary debate in May 2022, Fetterman said regarding abortion: "That is between a woman and her physician". To the question if any exceptions exist, he said: "It's certainly not between me or any politician. We settled this decades ago, and the fact that these states are trying to repeal it... we have to push back on that." Later that month, Fetterman reiterated his position opposing any legal restrictions on abortion, including in the third trimester. Congressional stock ownership Fetterman has expressed support for barring members of Congress and their immediate families from trading or holding stocks, though he has traded corporate bonds on his dependent children's behalf while in office. Criminal justice reform Prison reform is one of Fetterman's signature issues, advocating for more rehabilitation action as well as clemency for model prisoners. As part of his role as lieutenant governor, he served as the chair of Pennsylvania's Board of Pardons, which processes clemency requests and forwards them to the governor. Fetterman urged the board to process requests more quickly. Fetterman is in favor of abolishing capital punishment in Pennsylvania, having said he "wholly support[s] Governor Tom Wolf's moratorium on the death penalty". He has called the death penalty "inhumane, antiquated, expensive, and [a] flawed system of punishment". Fetterman supports the elimination of mandatory sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole for second degree murder, in which someone commits a felony resulting in death, but is not directly responsible for the killing. He does not support eliminating life without parole as a sentence. His Senate race opponent, Mehmet Oz, claimed that Fetterman supports "eliminat[ing] life sentences for murderers", which PolitiFact and other fact-checking outlets called a distortion of Fetterman's position. He later said that he supports permitting fracking but advocates stricter environmental regulations. In February 2021, he told MSNBC, "I'm embracing what the green ideal considers a priority... the Green New Deal isn't a specific piece of legislation. What I am in support of is acknowledging that the climate crisis is absolutely real." Filibuster Fetterman supports ending the filibuster in the United States Senate. He has also said that Democrats need to be more ruthless, like Republicans, in order to pass legislative priorities. He was one of nine Senate Democrats to vote for cloture for a Republican-led stopgap funding bill to avoid a federal government shutdown in March 2025. Fetterman criticized his fellow Democrats and said it was "absolutely absurd" to pander to "extreme voices" in the Democratic Party in the face of the ground reality of the Gaza war and Israel by shutting down the government rather than vote for the Republican funding bill. Foreign policy In 2015, The Patriot-News described Fetterman as a non-interventionist. Fetterman has said that the U.S. should not "be considered the world's police officers". China When asked what the greatest foreign threat to the U.S. is, Fetterman responded, "I believe China is not our friend." He has also said that the Chinese government should not be allowed to own agricultural land in the U.S. Greenland In January 2025, Fetterman said he was open to Trump's proposed United States acquisition of Greenland, and later joked he wanted to be appointed "Pope of Greenland". He said it was a "responsible conversation", including "buying it out" like Alaska or the Louisiana Purchase. Iran In 2025, Fetterman took a hardline stance on Iran's nuclear program, telling the Washington Free Beacon, "Waste that shit", and calling for its destruction. He argued there is no negotiating with a regime that has destabilized the region for decades and said the U.S. has "an incredible window... to strike and destroy Iran's nuclear facilities." Fetterman added, "The negotiations should be 30,000-pound bombs and the IDF", and later posted on X that Iran's nuclear program's only purpose is to create weapons, urging full U.S. military support in assisting Israel to eliminate it. Fetterman strongly supports U.S. intervention in the 2026 Iran war. He was the only Democratic senator to join all Republican senators, except Rand Paul, in voting against four separate resolutions offered in March and April 2026 aiming to reassert congressional authority over authorizing the use of military force, saying he was "baffled why so many are unwilling to support the only action to achieve" regime change in Iran. In response to Israeli threats to target the successors of the slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Fetterman recommended that the U.S. and Israel "just keep killing them until they're gone". He has said, "Every single thing Iran done and is is a war crime." Fetterman was the only Democratic senator to decline to sign a letter to Defense Secretary Hegseth calling for an investigation into the 2026 Minab school attack. Israeli–Palestinian conflict on June 25, 2024. In the background is an Israeli volcanic ash artwork. Fetterman strongly supports Israel and its relationship with the U.S. During his campaign, he said that as a U.S. senator he would "lean in" on the "relationship between the United States and Israel", By 2025, Fetterman opposed a two-state solution, saying in a meeting with J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami "You can't reform a carton of sour milk" in reference to the Palestinians and that he had never met an Arab person who would condemn Hamas. Notes from the meeting read: "Correction, Only a single Arab he has met with that staff was present for wouldn't outright condemn Hamas." During the Gaza war, Fetterman continued his steadfast support for Israel, placing blame for the conflict entirely on Hamas. He has notably broken from Democrats with his ardent support for Israel in the Gaza war. Commentators have said that his views on Israel have shifted to the right since the conflict's inception and become more in line with those of Republicans. In a separate incident, Fetterman told a pro-Palestine activist she should "be protesting Hamas" instead of Israel. In June 2024, Fetterman visited Israel and met with President Isaac Herzog and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Netanyahu said "Israel has had no better friend" than Fetterman. Fetterman has supported Netanyahu's position against any permanent ceasefire that allows Hamas to remain functional. On March 26, 2024, Fetterman and Representative Josh Gottheimer denounced the Biden administration for not voting against a U.N. Security Council resolution that "demands an immediate ceasefire for the month of Ramadan respected by all parties leading to a permanent sustainable ceasefire, and also demands the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages". New York magazine reported that Fetterman opposed a ceasefire and instead said "let's get back to killing". He also said Israel should "kill them all". Fetterman's office told New York that these statements were in regard to Hamas, not Palestinian civilians. In January 2025, he was the only Democratic senator to vote with all Republicans for cloture on a bill to sanction the International Criminal Court in response to its warrants against Netanyahu and Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant. In February 2025, Fetterman said he would "fully support" U.S. troops in Gaza after President Trump made his Gaza Strip ownership proposal. He called the proposal "provocative" but did not dismiss it, saying it was part of the conversation. In April, he was the only Democratic senator to join all Republicans in voting to confirm Mike Huckabee as ambassador to Israel. In April 2026, Fetterman was one of seven Democratic senators to join all Republicans in opposing a pair of resolutions that would have blocked sales of bulldozers and 1,000-pound bombs to Israel. NATO In 2023, Fetterman voted against an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have clarified that Article 5 of the NATO treaty does not obviate the need for Congress to declare war. Fetterman voted for Tim Kaine's amendment, which prohibits the president of the United States from withdrawing from NATO without congressional approval. Ukraine Fetterman supports military aid to Ukraine in the Russo-Ukrainian War. He has said, "If you can't support Ukraine right now, that's un-American and you're not standing up for democracy." War powers Fetterman was the sole Democratic senator to vote against a war powers resolution to prevent President Trump from launching further strikes on Iran after the June 2025 attacks on Iranian nuclear sites. He was the only Democratic senator to vote with all Republican senators to vote against a war powers resolution to prevent Trump from launching further strikes in the Caribbean after attacks on Venezuelan boats in September 2025. Gun policy Fetterman supports greater restrictions on gun purchases. Healthcare Fetterman has described himself as a supporter of Medicare for All, saying that healthcare is a "fundamental human need and right". Immigration Fetterman has called himself "perhaps the most pro-immigration member of the Senate" and has criticized the House Republican majority of the 118th United States Congress for what he perceives as unwillingness to compromise on border policy. He has called the issue "very personal" and important to him, connecting his views to his wife's status as a "DREAMer". But Fetterman has repeatedly expressed concern about the Mexico–United States border crisis, viewing the scale as unsustainable and calling for a bipartisan "reset" on border policy. This comment earned him criticism from progressives, causing many commentators to characterize it as an ideological break from his party. In a December 2023 interview, Fetterman said "I'm not a progressive" in regard to immigration. Fetterman opposes abolishing ICE. In 2026, he criticized Operation Metro Surge and ICE's tactics after ICE agents fatally shot two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis. He also called for Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to be fired. Despite calls from the rest of Pennsylvania's Democratic congressional congregation, Fetterman said that, in order to avoid a government shutdown, he would not vote against a bill funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and by extension ICE. He voted against the initial funding bill, but later supported a compromise bill that diminished DHS funding but maintained funding for other agencies. Fetterman supports ICE agents wearing masks, arguing that it protects them from doxing. Lab-grown meat Fetterman opposes lab-grown meat and has supported governors signing state bans, saying he "stands with our American ranchers and farmers". LGBT rights In March 2025, Fetterman joined every other Senate Democrat in voting against a bill that would ban trans girls and women from women's sports, saying, "The small handful of trans athletes in PA in a political maelstrom deserve an ally and I am one." Marijuana Fetterman is a proponent of legalizing marijuana, calling the issue a "political bazooka" and that leaving the issue alone is giving an opportunity for another party to gain political support for a pro–marijuana legalization agenda. He argued that if conservative South Dakota voters were willing to approve a ballot measure legalizing recreational marijuana, Pennsylvania should legalize it too. He also supports expunging criminal convictions related to marijuana. Minimum wage Fetterman supports raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Oligarchy In March 2025, Fetterman asked Democrats to talk like "regular" people instead of ranting about "oligarchy", saying that many people do not understand what an "oligarch" is. He expressed concern about "unlimited money" in politics, saying it harms democracy and can be mitigated by reducing financial influence. Policing Fetterman has described himself as "pro-policing", including pro-community policing. He opposes defunding the police, calling the movement "absurd", but supports the Black Lives Matter movement. After Derek Chauvin, a police officer who murdered an unarmed black man, George Floyd, was convicted of second-degree murder, Fetterman tweeted his support for the verdict, stating that Chauvin was "clearly guilty". As lieutenant governor, Fetterman supported legislation that would allow police to use deadly force only when officers or others nearby face imminent threat of death or serious injury. Social media and cybersecurity In January 2025, Fetterman co-sponsored the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA), which was introduced by Senator Brian Schatz, Chris Murphy, Ted Cruz, and Katie Britt. Senators Ted Budd, Peter Welch, John Curtis, Angus King, and Mark Warner also co-sponsored the Act, which would set a minimum age of 13 to use social media platforms and prevent social media companies from feeding "algorithmically targeted" content to users under 17. Tariffs and trade In 2015, The Patriot-News called Fetterman a "skeptic of free trade", given his opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Taxation Fetterman supports implementing a wealth tax in the United States. He has said those "who have yachts" could be used as a potential benchmark. Unions Fetterman is a supporter of labor unions, saying "The union way of life is sacred". He is a supporter of the PRO Act. ==Personal life==

in 2019 Fetterman is married to Gisele Barreto Fetterman ('''' Almeida), a Brazilian-American activist. Almeida was once an undocumented immigrant and a resident of Newark, New Jersey. They met when she heard about Fetterman's work as mayor of Braddock and wrote him a letter in 2007. with their rescue dogs, Levi and Artie. The family chose not to live in State House, the official residence for Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor. In 2008, Allegheny County sued Fetterman and his nonprofit Braddock Redux for unpaid taxes. A tax lien was placed against Fetterman and his nonprofit for $25,000. In 2012, Fetterman paid off the unpaid taxes. Fetterman is known for his casual style of dress. He often wears a sweatshirt and shorts He wore a hoodie and shorts during President Trump's second inauguration, and a suit and tie when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the United States in 2024. In September 2023, Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer relaxed the unofficial Senate dress code, which was widely seen as a reaction to Fetterman, allowing him to vote in his usual outfit. In late September, the Senate reversed its decision, unanimously passing the "SHORTS Act" (S.Res. 376, short for "SHow Our Respect To the Senate Act"), referencing Fetterman's trademark outfit and establishing the Senate's first official dress code. The reversal came after a week of intense criticism by Republicans, some Democrats, and Fox News. The book was co-written with Friday Night Lights author Buzz Bissinger. Health According to Fetterman's former chief of staff Adam Jentleson, Fetterman has struggled with depression throughout his life. At that time, cardiologist Ramesh Chandra diagnosed Fetterman with "atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm, along with a decreased heart pump", although this diagnosis was not known publicly until Fetterman's stroke in May 2022. In 2018, Fetterman spoke publicly about his substantial weight loss. Fetterman, who is tall, had weighed more than before losing approximately . On June 4, 2019, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that Fetterman "collapsed" while presiding over the State Senate; he became wobbly and grabbed the lectern to prevent himself from falling over, and a member of the Capitol's nursing staff came to examine him. Afterward, Fetterman's spokesperson said he had become overheated and was "back to normal". In an early June 2022 letter, Chandra wrote that Fetterman was "well compensated and stable" and that "If he takes his medications, eats healthy and exercises, he'll be fine." His doctors reported that Fetterman did not sustain cognitive damage, and that they expected a full recovery. Fetterman expressed regret for having ignored his health; after the 2017 diagnosis with atrial fibrillation, he did not see a doctor for five years and did not continue medications. In an October 2022 letter providing a medical update, Fetterman's primary care physician said that he "spoke intelligently without cognitive deficits" during examination and had significantly improved communication compared to his first visit with the doctor. Fetterman's stroke left him with symptoms of an auditory processing disorder, and he uses closed captioning as an aid to read speech in real time. The physician noted that Fetterman regularly attends speech therapy, routinely exercises, takes appropriate heart medications, and "has no work restrictions and can work full duty in public office." On February 16, 2023, Fetterman checked himself into Walter Reed Hospital due to clinical depression. A senior aide later said Fetterman would remain hospitalized for "likely less than two months" while he underwent treatment. Fetterman was discharged from Walter Reed on March 31. He returned to the Senate on April 17 and chaired an Agriculture Committee subcommittee to discuss Pennsylvania's farm issues. On June 9, 2024, Fetterman and his wife were involved in a two-car crash in Maryland. They were hospitalized, but quickly released. Fetterman was found to be at fault for the crash after rear-ending another vehicle while speeding. While walking in Braddock on November 13, 2025, Fetterman suffered a ventricular fibrillation episode that made him dizzy, causing him to fall on his face and sustain minor injuries. The injuries to his face required 20 stitches. Ventricular fibrillation is a life-threatening heart rhythm that results in cardiac arrest; standard medical treatment requires immediate defibrillation to terminate the arrhythmia. A physician interviewed by NBC said that an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator, like the one Fetterman received in 2022, can detect ventricular fibrillation and deliver a shock to restore normal rhythm, although a person may collapse in the moment before the shock occurs. Other media appearances Fetterman made a cameo appearance in the 2022 film The Pale Blue Eye. In December 2022, he posted a photo of himself and his wife alongside actor Christian Bale on the set of the film. Fetterman also worked with Bale and the film's director, Scott Cooper, in 2013, when they filmed Out of the Furnace in Braddock. Fetterman is the subject of a 2025 diss track by RXKNephew, commissioned by Chapo Trap House. ==Electoral history==