ERIE, Pa. — One day short of three months since a stroke nearly killed him, Democratic Senate nominee John Fetterman was “Back in Black” before more than 1,000 eager voters.
To the tune of the AC/DC hit, Fetterman, dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, took the stage with his wife, Gisele, who introduced him as “a stroke survivor” — and the next U.S. senator from Pennsylvania.
Fetterman opened his remarks with a joke about whether he was actually in Erie, or addressing 1,400 supporters in his basement — a reference to his opponent’s “basement tracker” that marked his absence while he recovered from his May 13 stroke.
It represented a notable relaunch of his high-stakes campaign following repeated attacks about his absence from the trail by his Republican rival, Mehmet Oz. Fetterman spoke for about 10 minutes, energetic, but sometimes haltingly, and occasionally searching for the right word. The crowd at Erie’s convention center was with him the whole time.
He expressed gratitude, becoming briefly emotional as he said his life could have ended three months ago.
“Gisele saved my life,” he said.
A pledge to campaign in ‘every county’
Attendees got black Fetterman signs and bright yellow rally towels — an homage to the Steelers’ “terrible towels,” — as a playlist of glam rock and metal music played over the speakers. The stage was bookended by two American flags with a Fetterman “Every County, Every Vote,” sign center stage.
Erie served as a lively homecoming for Fetterman, who had campaigned often there during the primary but was largely out of public view for three months.
He has focused his campaign on places like Erie and his hometown of Braddock, aiming to appeal to voters in parts of the state that are often passed over for Democratic strongholds during high-profile campaigns. And Erie is a well-known bellwether in the state.
“If you can’t win Erie County, you can’t win Pennsylvania,” he told the crowd, later adding that his campaign was never split between a general and a primary.
“It was always one campaign, and it’s right there,” he said pointing at the sign on the wall behind him. “Every county. Every vote. We’re gonna fight for every one of those counties and every one of those votes.”
The lieutenant governor and former Braddock mayor suffered a stroke May 13 – four days before the primary. His wife, Gisele, noticed his speech slurred and made the quick decision to re-route from a campaign event near Lancaster to the hospital.
Fetterman, 52, was hospitalized for nine days after his stroke and was outfitted with a pacemaker and defibrillator. His campaign said through a family doctor that Fetterman has cardiomyopathy, a weakened-heart condition, and atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm.
Since the stroke, Fetterman has said he’s worked behind the scenes, walked several miles daily and undergone speech therapy. In a TV interview on Thursday, Fetterman said that except for occasional hearing issues or searching for a word, he feels recovered and ready to campaign.
Oz has made nearly 100 campaign stops in the time Fetterman has been out of the public eye, and he has repeatedly attacked Fetterman for his physical absence on the trail. He’s posted about it on social media on a near-daily basis.
On the day of Fetterman’s big return, Oz publicly challenged him to five debates. A spokesperson for Fetterman’s campaign said Fetterman would debate but did not provide specifics on which debates he might attend. Oz’s campaign quickly accused Fetterman of dodging the debate stage.
Fetterman was also criticized in the primary for skipping a handful of forums and debates, though he wound up attending three televised debates.
The rally kicks off a more active campaign schedule for Fetterman, the campaign has said, with fewer than 100 days to go until the critical general election.
Fetterman used his first remarks back to make several jabs at Oz, telling the crowd, “He’s a New Jersey resident. He doesn’t live here. He’s not about us. He doesn’t care about us.”
And he returned to a central theme of his campaign — that he would deliver the 51st vote for Democrats on a variety of major legislative issues, including raising the minimum wage, abortion rights, union protections.
“That’s what this campaign is all about. ... You are going to deliver for us in November,” he said. “And I will deliver Pennsylvania for us, and I will deliver the 51st vote to the Senate.”
Despite being off the trail, Fetterman has still managed to maintain a lead over Oz. His campaign mounted an aggressive and snarky social media blitz against Oz, targeting him for moving to the state from New Jersey.
Oz, who had a much tougher primary race where he faced an onslaught of attacks, started his general election campaign needing to build support. Nearly two-thirds of Republicans in the state did not vote for him.
Fetterman, by contrast, benefited from beginning the race with a large base of voters. He won all 67 counties in the primary and enjoyed a kind of celebrity among many of his supporters.
‘He understands us’
That was evident at the rally on Friday where supporters lauded his return.
“The man, he understands us,” said Timothy Buck, Democratic chair in Lawrence County. “I think he did great tonight. He’s gonna get this done. He’s the working man’s person. He’s a true Pennsylvanian.”
Lisa Burns brought her two children, who both have autism, to the rally. For Burns, a key issue she’s voting on is health care. “We depend on Social Security,” she said. “We need that protected, so everything Fetterman stands for, my family needs.”
Diane Lanoue, a 69-year-old retired social worker from Erie, said she liked Fetterman’s “down to earth style,” along with his understanding of middle-class issues.
“He gets that things are out of balance. You have the 1% and then so many people who suffer,” she said.
Ron Hiles, a 64-year-old retired General Electric worker, said he could tell Fetterman was nervous but thought he did great, even if he stumbled a bit.
“Doesn’t matter because what he’s saying, he’s saying the right things,” Hiles said. “And he speaks from the heart.”
