Biden on Fetterman: ‘John is Pennsylvania’

Wilmington, Dell. – If a president’s most precious commodity is time, there is no place more politically valuable to the White House than Pennsylvania.

A vibrant President Joe Biden returned to Keystone State on Friday. It’s his 15th visit since he took office. This time, he attended the fundraiser with Vice President Kamala Harris and other leaders to support Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman, gubernatorial candidate Josh Shapiro, and other Pennsylvania Democrats. I backed it up. .

The president quickly offered a stake, warning that the November 8 midterm elections were “not a referendum but a choice, a choice between two vastly different visions of America.”

“Democracy is on the ballot this year,” he continued. And what’s amazing is that they say it out loud. ”

For months, the Pennsylvania seat has been the most likely pick-up opportunity for Democrats in an evenly-divided Senate.Control.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that all eyes are on Pennsylvania,” Biden said.

The White House has turned its attention to Biden’s birthplace of Keystone state in the final weeks before the election, with officials preparing for another visit next week. told the audience that the party would need two more seats to pass a key Democratic agenda on voting rights.

“Two more seats,” Harris said, holding up two fingers. “Two seats left. One of them, here.”

Friday’s event comes three days after Fetterman, who has recovered from a stroke that he says killed him earlier this year, showed a shaky result in his only debate against Republican Mehmet Oz. He slicked in front of a crowd in his trademark hoodie and jeans that he wanted to bring the same kind of quality health care that saved his life to all Americans.

“So I may not be able to tell you everything perfectly, but if you send me to Washington DC, I will always do the right thing,” he said to a standing ovation.

A dinner at the Pennsylvania Convention Center was the state party’s biggest fundraiser of the year and, according to party officials, the $1 million raised at the dinner was a record. Attendees included Sen. Bob Casey and Rep. Matt Cartwright, and Biden headlined a virtual fundraiser earlier this week.

In his remarks, Mr. Biden focused on attacking Republican lawmakers and their plans to raise prescription drug costs, cut Medicare and Social Security, and pass a nationwide abortion ban. He warned that a Republican victory would repeal the Affordable Care Act, the law to protect people with pre-existing medical conditions, the energy tax credit and the 15% minimum corporate tax rate.

“Above all, that is their plan.

In the Senate race, polls show a tight race between Fetterman and Oz. The Democratic debate performance shocked some viewers and sowed concerns among party leaders. A day later, when the campaign tried to downplay Tuesday’s speech, he delivered a smooth 13-minute stump speech in Pittsburgh, where Fetterman was consistently lousy at debates and flawed the closed captioning system he used as an aid. said that there is

Rabbi Bal, a dentist and vice chairman of the party in Westmoreland County in western Pennsylvania, heard from many of his friends that they were both concerned and surprised by Fetterman’s performance. He said he told them that whatever the lingering problems from Fetterman’s stroke, he would recover and always be “more approachable” to the public than Oz.

“That’s what he took a big risk,” Balu said. “But I think he got a lot of sympathy from people.”

The White House this week reiterated through a private conversation with the lieutenant governor that Biden believes Fetterman is physically capable for public office, citing analysis by independent medical experts. did. Cognitive function.

“John is Pennsylvania,” Biden said Friday, adding that “John leaves no one behind.”

Biden watched part of Tuesday night’s debate and “thought Lt. Gov. John Fetterman did a great job,” White House Press Secretary Carine Jean-Pierre said in an email Friday. .

Meanwhile, Fetterman’s campaign and national Democratic groups have turned their attention elsewhere, pouring money into TV ads to see Oz say, “I want women, doctors, and local political leaders to advocate for women’s rights.” using a debate clip that says, “I hope to decide the fate of abortion.

The statement, which went viral on social media shortly after the debate, was intended to oppose federal bans that reduce access to abortion in Pennsylvania, even though Oz opposes abortion. did. But Democrats say it’s proof that Oz wants politicians in clinics and examination rooms with women.

Biden brought up the moment on Friday, and his puzzled look at the comments was greeted with roars of laughter from the crowd.

“You heard it right: ‘local political leaders,'” he said. But if we elect two more Democrats to the Senate and retain control of the House, we will codify the Roe v. Wade case in January, so this will be national law. ”

Biden’s approval ratings, like the rest of Pennsylvania, have plummeted, raising questions about whether his presence is good for the Democrats in a year when the Republican Party is getting political winds.

But Biden won big in 2020 in four “color” counties in Philadelphia and its suburbs, and even beat Republican moderates, which helped propel him to victory over former President Donald Trump. .

Democratic presidents are likely to remain popular there.

Democratic political strategist Mark Nevins said revitalizing voters in Philadelphia and its populous suburbs is an area where one in three registered voters in Pennsylvania lives. I was. So are these suburban races. ”

Even if there is some debate about whether Biden can contribute to the campaign, “One constant area is his ability to help raise funds. The president can help there. These very costs.” Raising funds with the president’s help in a race that costs money is indisputable.

Biden has also treated Pennsylvania as something of a home base.

It’s where he spent part of his childhood, where he campaigned countless times for himself and other Democrats, and where Democrats called him “Pennsylvania’s third senator.” It is also a place called