Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) faces fierce criticism for his bipartisanship and old-school support for Israel and the war with Iran, along with his votes for many of President Trump’s nominees. Fetterman also opposed his party’s shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Fetterman gives the progressive/socialist wing of the Democratic Party agita.
Yet Fetterman is carrying on a Pennsylvania tradition that the late Republican Sen. Arlen Specter personified: the political maverick.
There’s even speculation that Fetterman may change parties, which Specter did in 2009.
Vince Galko, with Mercury Public Affairs, worked for Specter at his Philadelphia and Scranton offices. Galko called Specter an “independent spirit,” rather than a maverick.
“He was always loyal to the Republican Party until he switched,” said Galko.
Specter angered his fellow Republicans by not supporting Judge Robert Bork for the Supreme Court, Galko said.
“But that gave us Justice Clarence Thomas,” he said. Specter also voted “not proven” at the impeachment trial of former President Bill Clinton, another notch against him for his fellow Republicans.
Craig Snyder, president of Ikon Public Affairs, also worked for Specter and remained his lifelong friend.
Specter changed parties because he barely won the Republican primary in 2004 and realized he would likely lose in 2010, said Snyder. The polling among Democratic primary voters is similar for Fetterman, he said.
Specter drew the party’s ire by providing the 60th vote to pass President Obama’s $800 billion stimulus package in 2009, which Republicans opposed.
“President Obama and Vice President Biden lobbied hard,” said Snyder. Biden and Specter were friends, not just as colleagues in the Senate but from riding the train together back from Washington, D.C., two or three times a week, said Snyder. Obama and Biden told Specter, and many economists agreed, that without the stimulus, America might face another Great Depression.
They asked Specter what he wanted in the spending bill, and Specter requested $10 million for research at the National Institutes of Health. And that money led to some of the most important new treatments available to patients today, like gene therapy, cell therapy, and personalized medicine, Snyder said.
“Countless millions are being cured who will never know how their treatment came about,” he said.
Specter bucked the GOP when he thought it was the right thing to do, said Snyder.
“Fetterman is doing what he thinks is right, too,” Snyder added.
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While audiences have been fractured by live streaming and other venues, most believe candidates for statewide office need to be on TV.
“Given the size of the Pennsylvania electorate, candidates for statewide office must have a significant presence in terms of TV ads,” said Christopher Borick, Muhlenberg College political science professor and director of its Institute for Public Opinion. “Candidates can't rely on retail politics or media coverage to reach the millions of voters in the state and have to connect through ads.
“While an online presence is increasingly key in campaigns, TV ads remain an essential component given the target demographics of the state's electorate,” Borick said.
State Treasurer Stacy Garrity, the presumed Republican candidate for governor, aiming to unseat Democratic incumbent Gov. Josh Shapiro, is running her first statewide television ads.
This week, her campaign launched two television ads titled “Mr. Incompetent” and “Service and Leadership.” The campaign did an initial $500,000 buy across network, cable, connected TV, and digital platforms.
One ad slams Shapiro’s performance as governor. The other introduces Garrity, touching on her military service and her work as state treasurer.
The voiceover for “Mr. Incompetent” says, “Under Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s rated one of the worst states, including for jobs and taxes. To solve his PR crisis, Shapiro’s now spending almost $12 million a year of taxpayer money promoting himself. $12 million, including for filming hundreds of insane TikTok videos featuring Mr. Incompetent! Shapiro also just grabbed a pay raise, making him the highest paid governor in America. You won’t see him make a video about that!”
The announcer in “Service and Leadership” says, “Shapiro’s failed leadership has led to Pennsylvania being ranked one of the worst states for jobs and affordability. And Shapiro’s sexual harassment cover-up keeps getting worse and worse. Stacy Garrity served her country with distinction, received the Bronze Star… twice! And as State Treasurer, Stacy Garrity was so effective she returned over a billion to taxpayers. Corruption and incompetence. Or service and leadership. The choice couldn’t be clearer.”
