John Fetterman in 2016 PA Senate race
On Jobs:
Backs $15-an-hour minimum wage
Sestak said he would support an increase in the minimum wage to $10.80, with inflationary raises to eventually bring the floor to $15 an hour. McGinty and Fetterman both back a $15-an-hour minimum.Fetterman noted that McGinty pushed for just a
$9 minimum while running for governor in 2014. "The cynic in me would suggest that [$15] probably polls better in 2016 than it did in 2014," he said. McGinty said numerous groups pushing for the $15 minimum wage have endorsed her.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer on 2016 Pennsylvania Senate debate
Apr 6, 2016
On Abortion:
Unabashedly pro-choice;protect constitutional abortion right
Women should be able to make their own health care decisions with dignity and respect. That means access to the services and care necessary for their reproductive health.
I am unabashedly pro-choice, and will always fight to protect the constitutional right to an abortion.But the truth is, Republicans are hell-bent on undoing access to reproductive health services women need, from mammograms to an abortion.
There are places in Pennsylvania where women have to drive tens of miles to get to a Planned Parenthood.
One of the reasons why I fought for the Urgent Care Center we have in
Braddock today was to make these services accessible and available to women in the community. I don't want to go back to a time where women have to self-administer their care.
Source: 2016 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website JohnFetterman.com
Apr 1, 2016
On Civil Rights:
Women only makes 78 cents for every dollar a man makes
It is incomprehensible that for every dollar a man makes, a woman only makes 78 cents. The inequality is even more astounding among minorities, with African American women only making 64 cents on the dollar and
Hispanic or Latina women making just 53 cents. There is no logical explanation as to why women should earn less than men.
Source: 2016 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website JohnFetterman.com
Apr 1, 2016
On Foreign Policy:
Proactively engage in preventative diplomacy
We live in a complex, ever-changing world that requires American leadership and diplomacy. But unfortunately throughout the course of my lifetime, we've followed the direction of too many saber-rattling 'experts'
out there who have led us down the road toward costly wars of choice. And it's those costly wars of choice that have put too many American men and women into harm's way.
We should be engaging in preventative diplomacy, and proactively working with other countries to improve relations -- not just reaching out to them when things go south.
We should embrace a foreign policy framework that will not bankrupt future generations and allow us to hit our own domestic priorities.
Source: 2016 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website JohnFetterman.com
Apr 1, 2016
On Free Trade:
Fight to reverse bad trade policies like NAFTA
It's time we leveled the playing field to narrow the huge disparity of wealth in today's economy. We need a healthy, growing middle class and policies that promote that. As Senator, I will fight to reverse bad trade policies like NAFTA that have sent
American jobs overseas, driven down wages and decimated communities like Braddock across Pennsylvania. We need to return to valuing the American worker and blue collar jobs as much as we value white collar, financial jobs.
Source: 2016 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website JohnFetterman.com
Apr 1, 2016
On Immigration:
Wife's family came to Americas as illegal immigrants
My wife Gisele has a remarkable story that is so emblematic of our experience as a country, and the work on immigration that lies before us.Like so many before her, she came to this country with her family from Brazil in search of a better life --
fleeing a violent and unstable situation.
Her family overstayed their visa, and for years, she lived in the shadows undocumented while her mother cleaned houses for twelve hours a day.
And while Gisele would eventually obtain her green card, it shouldn't have been that hard.
I would not have the beautiful family I have today if Gisele's family was not brave enough to take a risk and come to America.
Chances are, you wouldn't have the family you have today either if it weren't for immigration because, at one point in time, most of us came from a boat somewhere.
Source: 2016 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website JohnFetterman.com
Apr 1, 2016
On Immigration:
If illegals lead an exemplary life, create a path
We need to embrace the millions of courageous people who come to America in search of a better life and a chance to contribute. As Senator, I will fight for:- Creating a pathway to citizenship for everyone that has been in this country that is
leading productive lives. If you are leading an exemplary life, there needs to be a path for you. This process can be supported with the safety of background checks.
- The DREAM Act:
Why do we stop people that want to go to college and contribute to society? Everyone in this country deserves the opportunity to receive higher education and pursue their dreams.
- Remedying our country's inhumane deportation practices.
I can't imagine how taxing it must be to live in fear every day that your family will be torn apart. We need to zero in on the bad by further scrutinizing who exactly we are targeting when it comes to criminals that do not belong in this country.
Source: 2016 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website JohnFetterman.com
Apr 1, 2016
On Jobs:
Support raising the minimum wage to at least $15 an hour
It's not a secret--the majority of Pennsylvanians are working longer hours for lower wages. That's not the hallmark of a true democracy, or what we should aspire to. Everybody is better off when everybody is better off. I will support raising the minimum
wage to at least $15 an hour. What does it say about our country that we have people working full time that are unable to take care of themselves or their family? We as a society have an obligation to give people a wage they can actually live on.
Source: 2016 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website JohnFetterman.com
Apr 1, 2016
On Drugs:
Very pro-legalization of marijuana
Pittsburgh NORML, a local chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, will be hosting a fundraiser for John Fetterman for United States Senate. Fetterman was recently quoted in the Washington Post explaining his stance on
marijuana reform: `I'm also very pro-legalization of marijuana. I also think we as a country need to have a conversation about the legalization of other drugs. I've been mayor of a town that's had a lot of economic upheaval, and
I've seen this: the war on drugs is a failure. If you're taking drugs, you're doing it to numb some pain in your life. It's a medical issue.`
Pittsburgh NORML shares Mayor Fetterman's position on cannabis and we believe he is the best candidate on issues of drug reform and criminal justice.
Source: The Daily Chronic on 2016 Pennsylvania Senate race
Sep 27, 2015
On Civil Rights:
Officiated at one of the first same-sex marriages in PA
When Pennsylvania lawmakers continued to push outdated discriminatory policies banning marriage equality, Mayor John stood up and officiated one of the first same-sex marriages in the commonwealth.
Mayor John was re-elected in 2009 by a 2-1 margin, and again in 2013 by an 8-1 margin, and now serves in his 3rd term as mayor.
Source: 2016 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website JohnFetterman.com
Sep 22, 2015
On Crime:
Break the cycle of violence to decreases murders
During the last 10 years as mayor, John is most gratified by breaking the cycle of violence in
Braddock that culminated with 5 years without the taking of a life.
Source: 2016 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website JohnFetterman.com
Sep 22, 2015
On Education:
Started a GED program in Braddock before running for mayor
John earned a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government where he focused on finding solutions in social work, business, and public policy to confront urban challenges and economic inequality. John then returned to Pennsylvania
to start a GED program in the town of Braddock. Once a booming steel town where Andrew Carnegie established his first mill, Braddock in 2001 was one of the poorest and most troubled communities in the commonwealth, facing steep population decline and
high rates of poverty.John saw the town's beauty and the grit and determination that had been the community's roots for generations. He bought an abandoned church and made Braddock home.
In 2005, encouraged by his students and motivated to do more to address the inequality that he felt was holding Braddock back, John ran for mayor. He managed to win the crowded primary by a single vote. And he's been hard at work ever since.
Source: 2016 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website JohnFetterman.com
Sep 22, 2015
On Energy & Oil:
Encourage clean energy policies
During the last 10 years as mayor, John encouraged clean energy policies to create new jobs and put folks in Braddock back to work. He's applied a hands-on approach from
AmeriCorps and his service experience with to take steps towards progress and rebuild this community, creating jobs, getting youth engaged, and bringing creative urban policy solutions to Braddock.
Source: 2016 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website JohnFetterman.com
Sep 22, 2015
On Families & Children:
Involved with Big Brothers and AmeriCorps since age 23
At 23, John joined up with Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and his life has never been the same since. John threw himself into the program, mentoring his 'little'--an 8 year-old boy who had recently lost his father to AIDS and whose mother was also battling
the disease. Before she passed away, John promised that he would continue to look out for her son and make sure that he would graduate college. Fifteen years later, John's and his 'little' had both held up their ends of the bargain, with his little's
graduation from Washington and Jefferson College.But John wanted to do more. The disparity between his own life and that of his 'little' motivated him to quit his job and join AmeriCorps' 2nd Year class. For two years,
John served in Pittsburgh's historic Hill District, where he helped set up the first computer labs in the neighborhood and taught GED classes to young mothers and fathers.
Source: 2016 Pennsylvania Senate campaign website JohnFetterman.com
Sep 22, 2015
On Gun Control:
Brandished shotgun after hearing shots fired on street
Armed with a shotgun, Fetterman confronted a man after hearing what he thought to be gunfire in the streets last weekend. Fetterman said that he hurried to get his young son inside his home when he heard about a dozen gunshots around 4 p.m. Fetterman
said he saw a man take off on foot, wearing a face mask and goggles. He called 911 and got into his truck and pursued. `No one could know what was going on at that point, other than a large number of shots were fired,` said Fetterman. `I made a decision
as a parent, and as a mayor, to intervene until the first responders could get there.`Fetterman said he had a 20-gauge shotgun in his vehicle, and he brandished it when he caught up to the person and ordered him to stop, not knowing if the person was
armed. `I did remove a weapon from my car, but I did not point it at him. In fact, I didn't even have a round chambered or the safety off.` The mayor was joined by police officers responding to his 911 call, & the officers took control of the situation.
Source: WTAE on 2016 Pennsylvania Senate race
Jan 31, 2013
Page last updated: Jul 19, 2019