PENNSYLVANIA (WHTM) — The looming retirement of Republican Pat Toomey opened up the Pennsylvania U.S. Senate race and made it one of the biggest, most closely watched races in the country.
On November 9, Democrat John Fetterman declared victory and Republican Mehmet Oz conceded the Senate race fueled by ads and social media wars that led to their only debate, which was held at abc27.
As of 12 p.m. on November 9, Fetterman has received 50.55% of the vote, according to the Pennsylvania Department of State, while Oz has received 47%.
Fetterman won the May Democratic Primary for U.S. Senate with 58.65% and received more than 752,000 votes despite suffering a stroke days before the election. Questions grew surrounding Fetterman’s health after he received a pacemaker and defibrillator.
In a June letter from Fetterman’s doctor, Ramesh R. Chandra, MD, FAAC, the prognosis for Fetterman was that “if he takes his medications, eats healthy, and exercises, he’ll be fine.”
Fetterman has acknowledged auditory processing issues and uses closed captioning in many of his interviews and the abc27 debate.
Fetterman made his candidacy for the Democratic nomination official in February 2021. He previously served as mayor of Braddock from 2005 to 2019 after graduating from Harvard University with a master’s in Public Policy. He joined AmeriCorps and started a GED program in Braddock.
Fetterman previously ran for Senate in 2016, losing in the primary, and was elected Lieutenant Governor in 2018. As Lieutenant Governor Fetterman served as chair of the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons and pushed to legalize marijuana.
On his campaign website, Fetterman says that the criminal justice system needs a significant overhaul, plus, he supports legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, a $15 minimum wage in the state, and that health care is a fundamental right.
During the primary race, fellow candidates Malcolm Kenyatta and Conor Lamb criticizes Fetterman for a 2013 incident when, shotgun in hand, he confronted someone who he thought was involved with gunfire in Braddock.
Fetterman received high-profile endorsements during the race, including from Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama and former television host Oprah Winfrey.
Fetterman will be sworn in as Pennsylvania’s next U.S. Senator in January 2023.
To learn more about Fetterman, visit his campaign website by clicking here.
Former U.S. Senate candidates
Mehmet Oz (R)
Once the host of “The Dr. Oz Show” and attending physician at NY Presbyterian-Columbia Medical Center, Mehmet Oz won the Republican Primary with about 420,000 votes after a recount in each county across the state.
Since his win, Oz traveled throughout the state continuing to campaign and unite voters as his past opponents in the primary who once attacked him, now back him.
During his campaign, Oz’s big talking points have focused on inflation, immigration, healthcare, and energy.
On his campaign website, Oz says, if elected, he would have reversed Biden’s agenda, incorporate financial literacy from an early age into education criteria, secure the border to stop “ghost flights” or flights with “illegal immigrants,” from entering Pennsylvania airports, and support the Second Amendment
During the primaries, Oz faced scrutiny for not residing in Pennsylvania after his longtime New Jersey residency. He has also faced criticism from key rivals in the race for his Turkish citizenship, which he says he will renounce before being sworn into Senate if he wins.
Oz received Trump’s endorsement during the primary race. Ahead of the May 17 election, Trump held a rally where he continued to show support for Oz.
“They’re spending millions of dollars and treating him very unfairly. Dr. Oz has led an enormously successful career on television, and now he’s running to save our country just like I do from the radical left lunatics and maniacs,” Trump said.
To learn more about Oz, visit his campaign website by clicking here.
Erik Gerhardt (Libertarian)
According to the Department of State, Libertarian Erik Gerhardt of Montgomery was approved to run as the Libertarian Party’s candidate. His website highlights issues such as jobs/economy, social justice and police reform, and the war on drugs.
To learn more about Gerhardt, visit his campaign website by clicking here.
Daniel Wassmer (Keystone)
Daniel Wassmer of Pike County was also approved to run as a representative for the Keystone Party. Wassmer previously ran as a Libertarian for Attorney General in 2020, receiving over 120,000 votes to finish third with 1.8%.
Learn more about Wassmer at this website.
Richard Weiss (Green)
The Green Party filed for Richard Weiss of Allegheny County to be its candidate in 2022. Weiss previously ran in 2021 for one of 10 seats on the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, finishing 18th with 1.9%. The year prior he ran statewide for Attorney General, finishing fourth with 1% behind Wassmer.
According to Green Slate 2022, Weiss “supports criminal justice reforms including ending cash bail, decriminalizing drug use and sex work, and establishing citizens’ police review boards with strong police professionalism standards.”
Pennsylvania’s threshold for third-party candidates to qualify for the ballot is 5,000 signatures of registered voters.
Primary Candidates
Republican Primary candidates
Dave McCormick
Dave McCormick, the former hedge fund CEO for Bridgewater Associates, finished second with 31.14%, close enough to trigger an automatic recount in Pennsylvania. McCormick finished less than 1,000 votes from the primary winner Mehmet Oz.
McCormick’s career in politics includes his time as a Treasury official for former President George W. Bush’s administration.
McCormick was endorsed by Texas Senator Ted Cruz, Pennsylvania Senior Republican Congressman Glenn “GT” Thompson, former Senate candidate Sean Parnell, among others.
As the CEO of the world’s largest hedge fund, McCormick reported that he earned more than $22 million last year. After quitting the position to run for Senate, McCormick raised $11.3 million since his campaign started.
To learn more about McCormick, visit his campaign website by clicking here.
Carla Sands
Former President Trump’s Danish Ambassador, Carla Sands, finished fourth with 5.45% and received more than 73,000 votes.
According to Q1 financial filings with the Federal Election Commission, Sands raised the third-highest amount behind McCormick and Fetterman with $103,193.13 in the first three months of 2022.
To learn more about Sands, visit her campaign website by clicking here.
Jeff Bartos
Jeff Bartos announced his candidacy in March 2021 and finished fifth with 4.95%, or more than 66,000 votes.
In the 2018 campaign cycle, Bartos was the Republican nominee for Pennsylvania lieutenant governor. Outside of politics, he owns a contracting company and several real estate acquisition and developing companies in the Greater Philadelphia market.
Bartos’ name was added to the growing list of Republican candidates on March 10.
To learn more about Bartos, visit his campaign website by clicking here.
George Bochetto
George Bochetto finished seventh in the election with 1.08% of the vote, or more than 14,000 votes.
The Philadelphia attorney launched his campaign for Senate at the beginning of January 2022. Bochetto said he helped prevent a 144-year-old statue of Christopher Columbus from being torn down in Philadelphia, according to the Associated Press.
To learn more about Bochetto, visit his campaign website by clicking here.
Sean Gale
Sean Gale finished with 1.51% of the vote with more than 20,000 votes.
Gale announced his candidacy in February 2021, and received $12,438.36 in the first three months of 2022. At the time of the filing, he had $8,806.81 in cash on hand.
To learn more about Gale, visit his campaign website by clicking here.
Kathy Barnette
Kathy Barnette, a former adjunct professor of corporate finance and a regular commentator for Fox News, finished third in the race with 24.66%, or over 331,000 votes.
According to the Q1 financial filings, Barnette has received $356,463.80 since the start of 2022 and has received $1,585,548.71 since the start of her campaign.
To learn more about Barnette, visit her campaign website by clicking here.
Democratic Primary candidates
Conor Lamb
U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania’s 17th District, Conor Lamb, finished second in the Senate race with 26.26% of the vote with more than 336,000 votes.
In the Democratic party, Lamb also has the second most Q1 contributions in the first three months of 2022, with $1,759,096.46. Among all candidates in either party, he has raised the fourth-highest amount with $5,740,022.26.
To learn more about Lamb, visit his campaign website by clicking here.
Malcolm Kenyatta
Philadelphia State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta finished third in the Senate race receiving 10.86% of the vote, more than 139,000 votes.
Rep. Kenyatta announced his candidacy in February 2021. Kenyatta is the State Representative for Pennsylvania’s 181st district. He received the third-highest Q1 contributions in the first three months of 2022 with $301,173.62.
Kenyatta received both donations and verbal support from multiple celebrities including Halle Berry, Amy Schumer, Robin Thicke, Tasha Smith, and Wanda Skyes, during his campaign run.
To learn more about Kenyatta, visit his campaign website by clicking here.
Alexandria Khalil
Alexandria Khalil finished fourth in the race with 4.24%, receiving more than 54,000 votes.
Khalil is a former small business owner, a member of the Jenkintown Borough council, and ran as a Bernie Sanders delegate for Montgomery County in 2016.
To learn more about Khalil, visit her campaign website by clicking here.
Dropped Out:
- Eric Orts
- Sharif Street
- Val Arkoosh
- Kevin Baumlin
This page will continue to be updated as candidates join or drop from the race. Information about each candidate will also be updated as we get closer to Election Day. Candidates confirmed thus far is based on official announcements and filings with the Federal Election Commission. Visit Pennsylvania Politics or Your Local Election HQ on abc27.com for more information on upcoming elections.
Election Day is November 8.
