U.S. Sens. Sherrod Brown and Bob Casey, two of the country’s leading Democratic allies of organized labor, stumped for Democrat John Fetterman on Thursday in Monaca, saying voters should elect him to join their caucus as a key line of defense against a GOP that — they say — wants to strip away workers’ rights.
At a gathering of union members at a small Monaca event hall, labor leaders encouraged voters to elect candidates who value a worker’s right to unionize, and the Democrats responded — in no uncertain terms — that their party is the one to do it.
Making his first stop on a swing through Pennsylvania, Mr. Brown, D-Ohio, said when Mr. Fetterman and Democrat Tim Ryan in his state are elected to the Senate, it’ll “move this country in a more progressive, pro-labor direction.” Mr. Fetterman, the sitting lieutenant governor, is facing Republican Mehmet Oz, a cardiothoracic surgeon and TV celebrity, in the November contest.
“We want to make sure that we fight for Fetterman, who will stand up to Wall Street, stand up to corporate America and stand up to the oil companies and drug companies,” Mr. Brown said. Mr. Fetterman has repeatedly criticized companies like Shell and Chevron for raking in record-breaking profits while consumers have been paying higher prices at the pump.
Mr. Fetterman, in a short speech, talked up the “union way of life” and noted that he lives across the street from a steelworkers local. He said if elected, he will work to eliminate the filibuster, raise the minimum wage — he favors $15 an hour — and pass the PRO Act.
The PRO Act has passed the Democrat-controlled U.S. House but stalled in the Senate. It would strengthen labor unions, its proponents say, by expanding the definition of an employee, fighting back at “right-to-work” laws and prohibiting specific anti-union actions by employers, according to media reports.
“This is the most important race here in America right now.,” Mr. Fetterman said, “and I’m asking you because you stood with us in the primary to stand with us in the general.”
Indicative of the high stakes of the race, Mr. Fetterman landed a significant moral victory hours after the event, taking partial credit for a move by the Biden administration to pardon those convicted of marijuana possession under federal law.
Mr. Fetterman has spent most of his career advocating for marijuana decriminalization, and pushed President Joe Biden during a presidential visit in August to act on it, he said. He called it a “massive step towards justice” in a statement on Thursday.
“When I heard President Biden would be in Pittsburgh a month ago, I knew that if I had a chance to sit down with him, I would use that opportunity to talk about the need to decriminalize marijuana,” Mr. Fetterman said. “And that’s exactly what I did.”
At the early event, Mr. Casey, of Pennsylvania, said Republicans have spent decades as a party trying to undermine the right to organize, and said the U.S. Supreme Court’s Janus decision in 2018 may have been the canary in the coal mine. In that case, the court ruled that government workers who opt out of joining unions cannot be required to help pay for collective bargaining.
Mr. Casey said it’s that same “raw corporate power” that’s attacking Mr. Fetterman with millions of dollars in ads. More than $20 million has poured into the race by GOP allies of Mr. Oz — led, in part, by the Mitch McConnell-linked Senate Leadership Fund — to attack Mr. Fetterman in recent weeks, according to Reuters.
The spending may have contributed to Mr. Fetterman’s lead shrinking, analysts say. Cook Political Report, which handicaps federal races, shifted the race to a “toss up” earlier this week as a USA Today/Suffolk University poll had Mr. Fetterman winning 46% to 40% over Mr. Oz. In the same poll in June, Mr. Fetterman was up nine, 46% to 37%.
Both candidates reported massive fundraising hauls on Tuesday, though Mr. Fetterman’s was record-breaking. His campaign said he raised $22 million in the third quarter, doubling the record-breaking $11 million he raised in the second quarter. In a shot at Mr. Oz, the Fetterman camp noted that none of Mr. Fetterman’s haul was self-funded.
“We’re going up against an ultra-millionaire who has poured millions of dollars of his own money into this campaign, and who has the backing of the special interest groups that are terrified of John,” campaign manager Brendan McPhillips said in a statement. “The people of Pennsylvania have John’s back and that’s something even Dr. Oz’s millions could never buy.”
Mr. Oz’s campaign raised $17.2 million in the quarter, including $7 million from a personal loan. The loan reflects his “commitment to making sure his campaign has enough resources to get his message out,” a press release from the campaign read.
“Doctor Oz will not be outworked when it comes to making sure he has the resources to tell voters his positive message of fixing the economy, creating jobs, and cleaning up our streets,” national finance director Michael Adams wrote.
The election is Nov. 8.
First Published: October 6, 2022, 5:51 p.m.
Updated: October 7, 2022, 1:06 p.m.
