HARRISBURG, Pa. - Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman has won the state’s Democratic primary for U.S. Senate just days after suffering a stroke.
The 52-year-old Fetterman defeated U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb and state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta on Tuesday to advance to November’s general election. He will face the winner of a hotly contested Republican primary that includes Dr. Mehmet Oz, ex-hedge fund CEO David McCormick and community activist Kathy Barnette.
Fetterman suffered a stroke Friday, injecting uncertainty into the Democratic primary race that for weeks had been shaping up as a runaway. He said he is on his way to a “full recovery” but will remain in the hospital for a while.
He voted Tuesday from his room at Penn Medicine Lancaster General Hospital, then underwent surgery where doctors implanted a pacemaker with defibrillator, according to his campaign. The procedure was a success, according to a spokesman.
"He is resting at the hospital and recovering well," said spokesman Joe Calvello early in the evening, before the polls closed. "John continues to improve every day, and he is still on track for a full recovery.”
Fetterman, a former mayor of Braddock, is a progressive who has vowed to be a reliable vote for organized labor and liberal causes in Washington. Democrats see the seat being vacated by retiring Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., as among their best pickup opportunities in the country.