PHILADELPHIA — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro expressed confidence this week in Sen. John Fetterman’s return to the U.S. Senate and said he wouldn’t entertain outside pressures for him to resign after his second hospitalization this month.
“He’s going to get the help that he needs … and do a great job for the people of Pennsylvania as their senator for a long time,” Shapiro said Tuesday in an interview with The Inquirer, as Fetterman receives inpatient treatment for clinical depression.
So far, Shapiro said he has not received any pressure from establishment Democrats to ask Fetterman to resign. “And if I did, I would dismiss it immediately,” Shapiro added.
Shapiro’s strong support for Fetterman is the latest showing of confidence in Pennsylvania’s new senator, who has faced questions about his ability to serve since he suffered a stroke last May. Fetterman checked into Walter Reed National Military Medical Center last week to receive treatment for his depression and was also hospitalized earlier this month after he experienced lightheadedness.
Fetterman spokesperson Joe Calvello said Wednesday there haven’t been internal conversations or external pressure on Fetterman to resign since his inpatient treatment began last week. He also said there was no immediate update on Fetterman’s treatment or on a timeline for returning to work in the Senate.
Fetterman is expected to remain in inpatient care “for weeks,” his top aides have said.
Shapiro said he has not spoken with Fetterman since his latest hospitalization but has communicated with Fetterman’s wife, Gisele, by text.
If Fetterman were to resign, Shapiro would be tasked with appointing a temporary replacement. A special election would then be held to elect a senator to serve the remainder of his six-year term.
Still, Shapiro said he expects Fetterman to “come back stronger than ever” after he receives treatment for depression.
Fetterman has been hospitalized twice in the last month as he continues to recover from a stroke last year. He first was hospitalized Feb. 8 for lightheadedness and stayed two nights. He returned to the Senate for votes last week before checking himself into the hospital again last Wednesday to receive voluntary treatment for clinical depression.
Fetterman, the former lieutenant governor, and Shapiro, the former attorney general, at times butted heads while serving on the Board of Pardons, which Fetterman chaired. They have since had a publicly amicable relationship and campaigned together several times last year as they ran to become Pennsylvania’s next senator and governor. They each began their new jobs last month.
Fetterman’s physical and mental health journey has prompted an outpouring of empathy from politicians who have shared their own personal experiences with depression.
Shapiro echoed this support, adding that he’s “really inspired” by Fetterman’s courage in getting help and going public with his mental health struggles.
Last week, Fetterman’s campaign sent out a fund-raising email to benefit two mental health organizations: the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers’ Association.
“We’re glad John is setting an example for all of us,” the email solicitation said. “And we hope that his bravery will encourage people around the country who need help to seek it, too.”
Conservative critics, however, have pointed to Fetterman’s two hospitalizations to accuse his campaign of downplaying the severity of his stroke and misleading voters about his ongoing health problems.
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(Philadelphia Inquirer staff writers Julia Terruso and Jonathan Tamari contributed to this article.)
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