John Fetterman, Pennsylvania’s larger-than-life lieutenant governor, has filed a statement of candidacy as he continues to ponder a run for the U.S. Senate.
The Democrat is exploring whether run to fill the seat of Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, who announced he will not seek reelection. Fetterman filed his statement of candidacy with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday, but his campaign reiterated that he has not yet made a final decision on whether to run.
The move comes weeks after he first set up a campaign account, raising tens of thousands of dollars in donations, an early indicator that a potential run could be successful. On Jan. 11, just three days after announcing he was exploring a Senate run, his campaign announced it had raised more than $500,000 in donations, the Hill reported.
Fetterman, known for his big frame (he is regularly listed as anywhere between 6 feet, 6 inches and 6 feet, 8 inches tall) and bigger personality, has become a national sensation on the left in recent months. He has repeatedly used Twitter and gone on cable television to excoriate legislators, including Republicans from Pennsylvania, and others who questioned the legitimacy of last year’s presidential election.
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Closer to home, the Harvard University graduate is a proponent of legalizing marijuana, raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour and expanding protections for the LGBTQ community.
