By Helen Ehrlich, News Editor
Democratic Representative Conor Lamb from Pennsylvania’s Congressional District 17 was once viewed as the ideal Senate candidate and the future of Pennsylvania Democrats.
Today, Lamb has fallen behind the less traditional Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman in the 2022 Senate race, and it appears that the Pennsylvania Democratic Party is making no moves to alter the direction of the primary.
Lamb rose to prominence within PA and national Democratic politics after flipping a red district for Democrats in Western PA, demonstrating his ability to win in regions previously written off as lost to Republicans. He emphasized his past as a marine and federal prosecutor, selling his centrist stances (even voting along Republicans and Trump lines). These identities are no longer serving him well, as he has slipped far behind Fetterman.
Fetterman is not a typical politician, and that’s been his main angle during his 17 years in electoral politics. He got involved in public service after the loss of a friend, eventually coming to serve as Braddock’s mayor from 2005 to 2019. He had relocated to the city through AmeriCorps, after he attended Harvard’s Kennedy Business School. He still resides there and proudly has the zip code tattooed on his arm. After serving the predominantly Black city that was left behind during the crash of Pennsylvania’s steel industry, Fetterman is marketed as a defender of the blue collar worker.
Fetterman has also posed issues for Democrats, as the party has struggled to decide whether they support or rebuke him. Fettterman has also been criticized within Braddock for a number of issues, including his no-longer-firm stance against fracking, claiming credit for community projects and pulling a gun on a Black jogger who Fetterman thought fired gunshots in the area. Fetterman even lost the endorsement from Braddock’s Mayor Chardaé Jones to North Philadelphia’s Representative Malcom Kenyatta.
While Lamb frames himself as a moderate for voters of both parties, Fetterman has said he’s not a progressive, though he champions causes from the movement. He specifically focuses on criminal justice reform, with legalization of cannabis as a central focus. Fetterman caught national attention for defying a GOP law that was passed in response to his choice to fly pride flags and marijuana leaf flags from his balcony in the Capitol building in Harrisburg. Fetterman said he would continue to fly the flags until the commonwealth legalized cannabis and made discrimination based on sexual orientation/gender identity illegal.
This is not the first time Lamb and Fetterman have faced off against each other. When Pennsylvania attempted to legalize recreational marijuana, Lamb was one of six Democrats to vote against the MORE Act. Lamb said it wasn’t a crucial priority at the moment and that the bill overall was just “bad.” Fetterman, on the other hand, heavily emphasized the criminal justice and financial benefits of legalization during the push to pass the act.
Lamb is lagging in both fundraising and the polls, as Fetterman continues to surge ahead at 46%, compared to Lamb’s 16%. There are currently 12 other Democratic candidates, with only Kenyatta appearing to be a viable competitor, trailing Lamb closely at 12%. Montgomery County Commissioner Val Arkoosh has withdrawn, marking the first dropped bid of the race. Fetterman is currently beating every Democrat and Republican running (including Dr. Oz) at $12 million. Lamb has $3.3 million.
“If online fundraising was what determined these elections, you’d have either Bernie Sanders or Donald Trump as the president,” Lamb said in response to questions regarding his current situation.
What is so crucial about the discrepancy between Lamb and Fetterman’s current race results is that the Pennsylvania Democratic Party has not made direct moves to push voters towards Lamb, a previous party favorite. Although Fetterman is the only candidate who has statewide experience, Lamb is seen as more of a “party elite,” which leaves him struggling to win favor from a broader array of voters. Fetterman’s statewide office also places him at a direct advantage, as it makes him more familiar.
While the Pennsylvania Democratic Party primarily leaned towards Lamb during January’s meeting, concerns over shifting tactics and demographics within Democratic politics outweighed the desire to promote Lamb’s campaign. Lamb was not able to get an official endorsement from the party, as the PA Democratic Party agreed to not endorse anyone in this Senate primary. Lamb has secured endorsements from larger officials within the party, such as Philadelphia’s Mayor Kennedy and the Building & Construction Union, which he hopes will give him a necessary push. While Fetterman has refused to consider this race a referendum on what the party will become, regardless of his beliefs on the matter, party dynamics are being reshaped.
Lamb is selling moderate policies in a polished package with a focus on Biden-adjacent teamwork, while Fetterman is trying to push progressive policies with a rougher approach. This demonstrates the change the party and state has undergone within the last two years, as progressives have built a more powerful coalition and moderates continue to lag.
The race remains young, with ads and heavy campaigning not yet debuting.
