Pennsylvania lieutenant governor and U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman speaks to a crowd of supporters at Bettelli’s Villa in Wilkes-Barre Saturday night. Next to him is the owner of Bettelli’s, Jessica Sheehan.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
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While greeting supporters, Fetterman also made time to greet Pigeon, the family dog at Bettelli’s.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
Fetterman took time to speak with reporters outside Bettelli’s.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
A crowd of supporters greets John Fetterman as he enters Bettelli’s Villa Saturday evening.
Kevin Carroll | Times Leader
WILKES-BARRE TWP. — In a room packed with supporters and with the primary election just over two weeks away, John Fetterman’s message was simple.
“Vote for me in May, and you’ll have my vote in Washington.”
Fetterman, currently the lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania running to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Pat Toomey, stopped by Bettelli’s Villa in Wilkes-Barre on Saturday evening to energize voters and spread his message ahead of the May 17 primaries.
Standing by his side while he delivered remarks was the fourth-generation owner of Bettelli’s, Jessica Sheehan.
“I’m so happy that he [Fetterman] was able to come here,” Sheehan said. “Through all walks of life, and there’s a lot of different people here, I think that John is the one that speaks to all of us.”
Close to 200 people came out to the restaurant to see Fetterman, who shook hands and took photos with many of them during his visit.
Chris Hooker, from Clarks Summit, caught Fetterman’s eye with a shirt that read “Abolish the Filibuster,” something Fetterman mentioned during his remarks.
“We were the first campaign to call for the elimination of the filibuster,” Fetterman said.
Hooker was thrilled that he was able to stop and talk with the lieutenant governor.
“I’ve been a supporter since he ran for lieutenant governor,” Hooker said. “He feels like he’s one of us.”
Clad in a maroon Carhartt sweatshirt and gray running shorts, Fetterman did look like he may have been just another Wilkes-Barre resident out for a jog.
But the Senate candidate drew cheers from the crowd at each of his talking points, the tentpoles on which his campaign sits: raising the minimum wage, protecting women’s reproductive health and universal health care.
He also reiterated his stance on the legalization of marijuana (with some help from a member of the crowd who yelled “legalize weed!”), FaceTimed his wife Giselle into the room for a brief hello and expressed his gratitude to the campaign donors in the room.
“We’ve got over 200,000 grassroots donors in communities all over Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said. “I am bought and paid for by you.”
The visit from Fetterman was welcomed by several members of the local Democratic party, including Democratic Party chair Kathy Bozinski, who was also thrilled with the big turnout at Bettelli’s.
“We welcome all of the Senate candidates … we’re blessed with three really great candidates in this race,” Bozinski said.
“This turnout reflects what we’ve seen in the polls … [Fetterman] has something like a 25-point lead in the polls right now, and you could see that enthusiasm here tonight.”
Fetterman is running for the Democratic nomination against U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta; recent polling from Emerson College shows Fetterman running at 33%, Lamb at 10% and Kenyatta 8%.
On the Republican side, Dr. Mehmet Oz and businessman Dave McCormick are the frontrunners for the nod. Fetterman took a dig at both GOP candidates’ perceived status as Pennsylvania outsiders during his remarks.
“I never thought I’d be running for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania and be able to use this as a flex, but I actually live in Pennsylvania,” he said.
Fetterman made earlier stops in the day in York and Lebanon counties, part of what he says is a commitment to reaching into communities all over Pennsylvania.
In Wilkes-Barre, he stressed the importance of getting out and voting in the primaries.
“We’re going to need each and every single last one of you here to get involved,” Fetterman said.
Wrapping up remarks before greeting some more voters, Fetterman invoked the name of current U.S. Senator and Scrantonian Bob Casey.
“I love Bob Casey, and I’d love to work alongside him,” Fetterman said.
“Could you imagine two Democrats in the Senate from Pennsylvania? That’s what I aspire to.”