Democrat John Fetterman—Pennsylvania's current lieutenant governor—announced Tuesday that he's signed the "no fossil fuel money" pledge as part of his progressive campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in the key battleground state.
"I never have and never will take a dime from the fossil fuel industry," Fetterman said in a statement.
"Climate change is an existential threat, and we need to transition to clean energy as quickly as possible," he continued. "And as we do this, we must ensure that we have a just transition that honors and upholds the union way of life for workers across Pennsylvania and creates thousands of good-paying union jobs in the process."
I signed the 'No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge' because in my 3 statewide races, I've never taken a dime from the industry and I never will.
— John Fetterman (@JohnFetterman) February 16, 2021
We must transition to clean, green energy while also safeguarding the sanctity of the union way of life for current and future energy workers. pic.twitter.com/z1hrpwMM80
The former 14-year mayor of Braddock, a Pittsburgh borough, formally launched his campaign earlier this month, hoping to claim the seat that will be available due to Republican Sen. Pat Toomey's decision not to run for reelection. The race for the Senate seat, as the Associated Press reproted, could emerge as "the nation's most competitive Senate race in 2022."
A pro-choice and outspoken drug reform advocate and marriage equality activist, Fetterman's platform calls for a minimum wage of at least $15 an hour, support for unions, rights for LGBTQIA+ communities, and an end to "the failed war on drugs." It also declares healthcare "a fundamental human right" and the climate crisis "an existential threat."
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Fetterman also signed the pledge in 2018 when he was on the ticket with Gov. Tom Wolf.
Specifically, pledge signers promise to snub campaign "contributions over $200 from the PACs, lobbyists, or SEC-named executives of fossil fuel companies—companies whose primary business is the extraction, processing, distribution, or sale of oil, gas, or coal."
High-profile signers to the pledge currently in Congress include Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Massachusetts Democrats Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey.
This will be Fetterman's second bid for a U.S. Senate seat. He first ran unsuccessfully in 2016.
This article has been updated from an earlier version to indicate Fetterman's first run for U.S. Senate was in 2016, not 2015.
