John Fetterman

John Karl Fetterman ( FET-ər-mən; born August 15, 1969) is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from Pennsylvania, a seat he has held since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, he served from 2006 to 2019 as the mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, and from 2019 to 2023 as the 34th lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania. Fetterman studied finance at Albright College and earned an MBA from the University of Connecticut before beginning a professional career in the insurance industry. He went on to join AmeriCorps and earned an MPP from Harvard University. Fetterman's service with AmeriCorps led him to Braddock, where he moved in 2004 and was elected mayor the following year. As mayor, Fetterman sought to revitalize the former steel town through art and youth programs. In 2016, he ran for U.S. Senate, placing third in the Democratic primary. In 2018, Fetterman was elected lieutenant governor on Governor Tom Wolf's ticket, having defeated incumbent lieutenant governor Mike Stack in a crowded Democratic primary. During his tenure, Fetterman received national attention for his efforts to legalize cannabis statewide, and for his opposition to President Donald Trump's false claims of election fraud in Pennsylvania. Despite suffering a near-fatal stroke during the 2022 primary campaign that left him with some impairments, Fetterman was elected to the U.S. Senate, defeating Republican nominee Mehmet Oz with 51% of the vote. In 2025, Fetterman became Pennsylvania's senior senator when Bob Casey Jr. left office after losing reelection. Since he took office, Fetterman's policy positions have shifted significantly to the right, according to many observers. He has been accused of neglecting his everyday duties, isolating himself from his Democratic colleagues, and preferring to appear on conservative media. His health and his office's working environment have also received significant media scrutiny.