PHILADELPHIA, May 17 (Reuters) – Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman won the state’s Democratic primary on Tuesday in a critical U.S. Senate race, Edison Research projected, despite having been hospitalized since Friday after suffering a stroke.
Fetterman, a progressive Democrat whose victory over centrist U.S. congressman Conor Lamb came just hours after Fetterman’s campaign said he had a pacemaker implanted to address the irregular heart rhythms that caused the stroke, has said doctors expect a full recovery.
The Republican senatorial primary in Pennsylvania remained too close to call, with TV wellness celebrity Mehmet Oz – endorsed by former President Donald Trump – vying for the party’s nomination against former hedge fund executive David McCormick and conservative political commentator Kathy Barnette.
“If you’ll allow me to be brutally honest for a second, 2022 is going to be hard year for Democrats,” Fetterman said in an email to supporters.
The tattooed, goateed Democrat, who prefers shorts and hoodies to suits, added that “a typical Democrat, running a typical campaign, is going to struggle. To win PA, we’re gonna have to do things differently.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Representative Ted Budd, also backed by Trump, won the Republican Senate nomination in North Carolina on Tuesday, while Republican congressman Madison Cawthorn appeared in danger of losing his seat after a series of scandals.
The Pennsylvania and North Carolina Senate races will play a critical role in November’s midterm elections in which President Joe Biden’s fellow Democrats are fighting to retain their slim majorities in the House of Representatives and Senate. Both seats are currently held by retiring Republican senators.
