Populist John Fetterman Wins Democratic Pennsylvania Senate Nomination

Unconventional Democratic candidate Pennsylvania Lieutenant Gov. John Fetterman won his party’s nod to advance in the state’s Senate race by a landslide on Tuesday night.

With a little over 81% of the vote counted, Fetterman finished with nearly 60% of the voters’ support. Rep. Conor Lamb (D-Pennsylvania) finished with a distant 27%.

Fetterman was also sidelined during the days leading up to the election after suffering a stroke on Friday. It was unknown how his hospitalization would affect the election, but it didn’t seem to have an impact. The 52-year-old is expected to make full recovery.

“I’m sorry to sound like a broken record, but it’s never been more true. Thank you *so* much for making me your Democratic nominee. Thank you for everything PA,” he wrote on Twitter.

Fetterman is a unique candidate. He is pro-union and supports the legalizing of marijuana. He has ties to Sen. Bernie Sanders‘ (I-Vermont) presidential campaigns. Fetterman also opposed mask mandates and supported former President Donald Trump‘s Title 42 immigration policy.

The GOP primary has not yet been declared as it looks like a tossup between candidates Mehmet Oz and Dave McCormick, which may trigger a recount. As of Wednesday morning, both candidates are sitting at 31%. Pennsylvania automatically recounts if the difference is less than 0.5% of the vote.