PHILADELPHIA — Lt. Gov. John Fetterman’s campaign released its first television ads of the general election Tuesday, touting him as a candidate without traditional labels who would fight for Pennsylvanians in the U.S. Senate.
But voters may not see Fetterman make that pitch in person for some time.
Fetterman, who suffered a stroke May 13 and has been out of the public eye since, may not return to the trail until July, his wife Gisele said in an interview with CNN released Tuesday.
“That would be my hope,” Gisele Fetterman said when asked if Fetterman would be back campaigning next month.
Campaign spokesperson Joe Calvello told The Philadephia Inquirer on Tuesday that Fetterman would be back on the trail “in the coming weeks.”
“He is getting better every day. He is going on walks daily, running errands, picking up his kids from school, and doing calls and meetings with staff,” Calvello said. “Doctors have told him he needs to continue to focus on his recovery, and that’s exactly what he’s doing.”
Fetterman spent nine days in the hospital following his stroke. He was outfitted with a pacemaker and defibrillator, and has been recovering at home in Braddock since his release. His campaign initially said he had atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm, later revealing through a family doctor that Fetterman also has cardiomyopathy, a weakened-heart condition.
In the meantime, save for short social media clips, Fetterman hasn’t done any public appearances or interviews. Fetterman’s doctor and the campaign have said he will make a full recovery, which is an ongoing process. The campaign on Tuesday did not deny reports that Fetterman’s ability to have conversations rapidly has not fully recovered.
“John is three weeks removed from a stroke and getting better every day, but, as we have said, John is not 100% yet,” Calvello said.
In Fetterman’s absence, the campaign has released a string of endorsements and, this week, debuted the TV ads, a $300,000 buy airing in the Johnstown, Pittsburgh, and Scranton media markets over the next week. The ads are airing on broadcast and cable, including on Fox News.
“We feel confident about where our campaign is at,” Calvello said. “We are about 5 months away from the general election. John will have plenty of time to campaign and talk to voters.”
Democratic strategist Mike Mikus, who ran Katie McGinty’s 2016 Senate campaign, doubts a summer month off the trail will make a difference to voters.
“It’s June. … It’s not like voters expect to see candidates running around their district and frankly, most voters don’t care,” he said. “If this were Labor Day, it’d be concerning.”
Mikus said this period of the campaign tends to be about fund-raising and putting together a general election campaign staff.
“Senate campaigns aren’t what they used to be. You do campaign swings, but you’re not necessarily campaigning every single day,” he said. “A lot of it’s fund-raisers and ever since COVID, it’s not unusual to have fund-raisers that are virtual.”
The campaign, along with Fetterman’s cardiologist, have said he’s expected to make a full recovery.
But the campaign has released few details about Fetterman’s health other than the doctor’s statement last week. And the campaign has refused interviews with either his doctors or Fetterman.
The letter was the first time the campaign had learned about the cardiomyopathy, Calvello said.
“The campaign released the letter from John’s doctor last week, right after the doctor saw John, which was the first time we had heard this term,” he said.
Calvello said the campaign has asked Lancaster General to release more information.
“We have asked many times for a letter from the hospital and have yet to receive one,” he said.
While some news reports suggest unease among some Pennsylvania Democrats, Philadelphia party chair Bob Brady said he hasn’t heard any anglings among Democrats to try to pressure Fetterman to drop out of the race.
“I mean, there are people talking and making sure he’s OK and he can serve, but I haven’t heard anyone calling and talking about what it would be to remove him,” Brady said. “And they can’t replace him. He’d have to withdraw.”
In the unlikely event Fetterman determined he could not campaign, he would have to voluntarily remove himself from the ballot to be replaced. Then it would be up to the full Democratic state committee to determine who would replace him.
State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who ran unsuccessfully against Fetterman in the May 17 primary, denounced the anonymous “Democratic leaders” quoted in an NBC story as saying some Democrats are reading up on the rules should Fetterman need to be replaced.
“If you’re an anonymous ‘Democrat leader’ feeding reporters crap quotes about John Fetterman being replaced on the ticket, cut the crap,” Kenyatta tweeted. “It goes without saying, I felt strongly that I should be US Senate nominee and I worked my ass off, but the voters decided and I respect it.”
