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From a small box in the upper right corner of the Zoom screen appeared Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, raising his hands to show surprise to the several dozen campaign volunteers who had signed up Tuesday night for social media training.
“Heyyy everybody, hey!” Fetterman said, according to a video of the session provided to The Washington Post. “And well, thank you all, and let me stop by saying, you know, we’re not the special guests, you all are the special guests, and I just want to thank you for doing this and, and, helping this campaign. “
The brief greeting to supporters is the first unedited look at Fetterman since he suffered a near-fatal stroke nearly two months ago that sidelined him days before the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary, which he won in May. He sat out the campaign as he focused on his recovery, his absence raising questions about whether he would be mentally and physically fit enough to campaign vigorously in one of the country’s most high-scoring races.
In the Zoom video viewed by The Post, a smiling Fetterman sat next to his wife, Gisele, wearing his signature oversized sweatshirt, this son. A Fetterman for Senate banner hung on a white brick wall behind them. While on camera for just a few minutes, he spoke clearly and showed no visible signs of a speech impediment.
“I never, ever feel entitled to have support, but the fact that you do, I’m so grateful for that and you know, from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you and what you’re willing to do to help us turn this seat around. Thank you very much,” Fetterman told the volunteers during the call.
Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman joined the campaign conversation on Zoom on July 12, one of his first appearances since suffering a stroke in May. (Video: The Washington Post)
In recent days, Fetterman has begun to take small steps back into the fray, though there are no definite plans yet to resume traditional campaign events with voters across the state. Fetterman’s advisers are adamant he will be ready to face his Republican challenger, celebrity talk show host and heart surgeon Mehmet Oz, in November.
In a statement to The Post, Oz’s campaign acknowledged Fetterman’s health and then hit out at his politics.
“As a physician, Dr. Oz has performed thousands of heart surgeries, so he understands how scary this condition is for the patient and the family, and he prays for John Fetterman’s recovery,” said Brittany Yannick, Oz’s spokeswoman. “Now that he’s back, John Fetterman can’t hide from the voters forever. Pennsylvanians will soon learn about John Fetterman’s radical ideas… We’re glad John is back to health so we can focus less on his heart and hood and more on the crazy far-left ideas he has in his head you are.’
Candidate challenges, primary marks have GOP worried about Senate chances
Party leaders in the state are eager to see Fetterman back on the campaign trail. During the primaries, he stopped several times a day, spoke to large crowds, and stayed for selfies with anyone who wanted a photo.
“Democrats are concerned because John is a great personal campaigner, and we’re concerned because every day he can’t go out and campaign in person is a day we can take another step toward victory,” said former Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell.
Fetterman surprised volunteers with a personal visit to the field office Saturday and, according to a video posted on Twitter, told them he would be back on the trail “soon.” After the quick greeting on Tuesday’s Zoom call, according to his campaign, he appeared virtually at a fundraiser hosted by JStreetPAC, the political arm of the liberal pro-Israel group. This event lasted over an hour and he answered questions from donors. Next Thursday, he is scheduled to make his first in-person events, including an afternoon fundraiser and then a sold-out private gathering hosted by Democratic Jewish Outreach Pennsylvania, a political action committee that is closed to the media.
JStreet spokesman Logan Bairoff confirmed Fetterman’s virtual presence at the hour-long event, attended by about 100 people, and that he engaged in a lengthy two-way exchange with donors for about 25 minutes.
“It sounded good. “Obviously he admitted that he’s on the road to recovery, but he sounded good,” Bairoff said. “We’re fully aware that he’s coming back to the trail and … we’re extremely excited and appreciative that he’s back out there and taking the time to meet with us.”
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is hosting a fundraiser for Fetterman in D.C. on Tuesday, led by Sen. Robert P. Casey Jr. (D-Pa.) that the candidate did not attend. President Biden is scheduled to be in Philadelphia for a Democratic National Committee fundraiser on Wednesday, according to multiple sources, but Fetterman is not attending.
Democrats across the state say they remain committed to Fetterman’s candidacy, and no one has seriously suggested he drop out of the race because of his health. Joe Calvello, Fetterman’s spokesman, responded to a question about whether Fetterman was running with a string of expletives.
“John Fetterman will be at the top of the ticket this November,” Calvello said. “Our campaign is going full speed ahead, we’re organizing, we’re on TV, John and our team are 100 per cent focused on turning this seat blue.”
Although Fetterman was not physically on the trail, he was fully engaged and active, his advisers said. On Tuesday, before a Zoom pop-in and virtual appearance at the fundraising event, Fetterman took calls in the morning and had a brainstorming meeting with his communications team. He went for a 4.7-mile walk on a trail near his home in Braddock, Pa., and also called Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.).
“I had a good conversation with John Fetterman about the urgent need to address pressing issues for working families in Pennsylvania, Montana and across the country like lowering the cost of gas, groceries and prescription drugs,” Tester said in an emailed statement. “He’s not your typical candidate, and he’s exactly the kind of person we need more of in the Senate, and I know he’s working hard to make that happen in November.”
Pennsylvania’s Senate race is critical to Democrats’ hopes of holding on to their slim majority in a difficult political year. Flipping the seat currently held by retiring Republican Sen. Patrick J. Toomey could help stave off expected GOP victories elsewhere.
The state has a long history of swinging between political parties, electing Barack Obama by significant margins in 2008 and 2012, but electing Toomey in 2010 in that year’s Tea Party wave. Pennsylvania voters then elected Donald Trump in 2016 and Biden in 2020.
Fetterman, 52, a towering presence at nearly 6 feet 9 inches who is rarely seen in a suit and tie, has built a brand on his down-to-earth persona. Many Democrats believe he will appeal to the state’s more independent-minded voters, especially the working class, against Oz, a wealthy celebrity.
“You couldn’t have a better situation in a worse year,” said TJ Rooney, a former Democratic state party chairman, referring to the matchup between Fetterman and Oz. “It’s yin and yang, up and down, the contrasts, it’s shaping up as well as you could hope for, except he had a medical problem and that’s the 800-pound gorilla in the room.”
Few people have seen Fetterman speak outside of brief, scripted appearances filmed and promoted on social media by his campaign. After the stroke, his campaign did not disclose the severity of his illness for weeks. On the day of the May primary, Fetterman underwent surgery to install a pacemaker with a defibrillator, which campaign officials said doctors told them was to treat atrial fibrillation (A-fib). Nearly three weeks later, his cardiologist revealed the medical device was needed to treat cardiomyopathy, a diagnosis Fetterman first received in 2017 that reduces the amount of blood his heart can pump. Fetterman also later shared that he “almost died.”
The state Democratic Party has until Aug. 15 to replace Fetterman on the ballot, but he wouldn’t say whether anyone is considering it.
“Who the hell are you going to replace him with?” Rooney said. “It’s definitely unspoken and unfathomable and unthinkable at this point.”
Most Democrats take solace in Fetterman’s absence from the trail during the days of summer, when the average voter isn’t attuned to horse-race politics. From his home, Fetterman trolls Oz on social media, mostly at his New Jersey residence, and has tweeted a compilation of Oz’s many mansions that has been viewed more than a million times. Over the July 4th weekend, Fetterman’s campaign flew a plane over the New Jersey shore, where many Philadelphians spend their summer weekends, carrying the message: “Hey Dr. Oz, welcome home to New Jersey! ♥ John.” Then on Thursday, Fetterman’s campaign paid Snooki, the reality star of the latest “Jersey Shore” show, to make a cameo for Oz, telling him, “Jersey will not forget you.”
Fetterman has also continued to air television ads in the state, including one currently airing nationwide that calls Oz “Doc Hollywood” and attacks him for not living in Pennsylvania.
Mark Alderman, a major state Democratic donor, said Fetterman’s appeal is his ability to channel the emotions of an angry electorate. Alderman said there is concern among Democrats about whether his health is forcing him to tone down that image.
“He’s a visceral candidate, people are crazy, he seems crazy, he seems like the guy you want on your side if you’re angry,” Alderman said. “Anything that distracts from his public persona as a tall, strong, energetic, angry man…
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