Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania remarked in an interview at The Atlantic Festival that former President Donald Trump shares a unique connection with voters in his state, a bond that intensified following the assassination attempt on July 13.
During a campaign rally in Butler County, Pennsylvania, Trump narrowly escaped an assassination attempt that resulted in minor injuries to him, serious injuries to two attendees, and the tragic death of former volunteer fire chief Corey Comperatore. Fetterman stated that he would refrain from “mansplaining” the circumstances to Vice President Kamala Harris, while also acknowledging that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was an exceptional presidential candidate in 2016, despite her eventual defeat to Trump.
“Trump has created a special kind of a hold … he’s remade the party and he has a special kind of place in Pennsylvania,” Fetterman told interviewer Jeffrey Goldberg. “And I think that only deepened after that first assassination attempt.”
Watch:
Harris presently holds a 1.0% advantage over Trump in a direct contest in Pennsylvania, as indicated by the RealClearPolling average of polls. This lead increases to 2.17% when factoring in additional candidates, including Green Party nominee Dr. Jill Stein, independent candidate Cornel West, and Libertarian candidate Chase Oliver. Fetterman cautioned in another part of his discussion with Goldberg that Clinton had a lead over Trump in Pennsylvania polling during the 2016 election, yet ultimately lost this pivotal swing state to Trump.