At Bristol Rally, Fetterman Asks Voters To Send Him To Washington D.C.

An eager crowd of Democrats gathered to cheer for and listen to Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democrat running for U.S. Senate against Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz.

Fetterman’s campaign said 1,230 supporters filled Bristol Lions Park along the Delaware River in Bristol Borough on a crisp Sunday afternoon.

Fetterman, a resident of the western part of a state, told supporters he will end the filibuster, raise the minimum wage, pass the PRO Act, codify Roe v. Wade, support veterans, protect marriage equality, support manufacturing in America and Pennsylvania, and expand access to health care coverage if elected come November 8.

“Send me to D.C. and I’ll be the 51st vote to get stuff done for Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said.

“Oz might be a joke, but it’s really not funny because abortion rights are on the table,” the candidate said.

Speaking of his near-fatal stroke in May, Fetterman hit Oz and his campaign for controversial statements they had made about his health. He acknowledged he has some “auditory processing” issues that linger, but he is healthy and ready to serve.

“A lot of people can relate to what I’m going through,” he said.

Dressed in his trademark jeans and a Carhartt sweatshirt, Fetterman pounded Oz on his support of dubious and unproven medical cures he peddled while hosting a very successful medical TV talk show.

“He sold miracle cures I can’t pronounce,” Fetterman told the crowd. “I couldn’t have pronounced them before the stroke.”

He added Oz will “say anything for a dollar and he’ll say anything for a vote.”

Fetterman said his opponents have spent $38 million on negative ads against him during the campaign.

“We’re still standing, and we’re winning,” he said to cheers.

The second lady and wife of the candidate, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, warmed up the crowd for her husband and encouraged them to get out and vote for him. She promised Fetterman would fight for Pennsylvanians “like he fights for his family, like he’s fought for his life.”

Ashley Ehasz, the Bensalem Township Democrat running against incumbent Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, spoke to the crowd.

Ehasz, a U.S. Army veteran, knows the struggles many families go through and will fight for them in Washington D.C. if elected, she said. In addition, she vowed to protect the right to abortion.

“I value leaders who will value and protect veterans,” she said, mentioning Fetterman.

State Rep. Tina Davis, a Democrat from Bristol Township, told attendees Fetterman is someone they can support.

Democratic former Congressman Patrick Murphy, who also served as undersecretary and acting secretary of the U.S. Army from Bristol, and Ann Marie Mitchell, the Democrat running for the Sixth Senate District, both spoke to the crowd and pledged support for Fetterman.

With Bucks County being a bellwether county, the Fetterman campaign made a point to highlight the local support. Bucks County was won by both Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden by slight margins.

Brendan McPhillips, Fetterman’s campaign manager who was in attendance Sunday, knows the county well. He served as campaign manager for Democrat Kevin Strouse during his unsuccessful 2014 run for Congress.

Recent polls show Fetterman ahead of Oz, but the race has tightened in recent weeks. Oz and his campaign have hit the lieutenant governor attacks on his health, an incident where he pulled a shotgun on a jogger, and his stances or criminal justice.

The Fetterman rally in Bristol Borough follows recent rallies in Pittsburgh, Montgomery County, Philadelphia, Indiana County, and York County.

David Freedman, of Hatboro Borough, Montgomery County, said he was impressed with Fetterman’s rally and his recovery from his May stroke.

“He’s awesome,” Freedman said. “He’s not fake or phony. You know what he’s about.”

Freedman said he found his dressed-down style as being relatable.

Jeanne Freedman, his wife, said she previously wasn’t very interested in politics, but President Donald Trump’s election got her involved. She said she supports Fetterman.

Renee Donahey, of Lower Makefield Township, said she connected with Fetterman because she also suffered a stroke earlier this year and knows the frustrations that come with recovery.

Donahey, who is a common sight at Democratic rallies in Lower Bucks County, said she believes in Fetterman’s message and knows he will be a better senator for the state than Oz.

Christina Finello, of Ivyland Borough and former Democratic candidate for congress, was at the event and thinks Fetterman has the type of economic message that will connect with Bucks Countians.

Finello’s elementary-school aged daughter, Nora, enjoyed the rally and even got Fetterman to sign her bright orange cast. She also was thrilled to get several Bristol Borough police officers’ and a LevittownNow.com reporter’s signature on her cast.

A group of Oz supporters dressed as prisoners and a chicken protested the rally. They were kept a distance from the event.

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