Hi John,
Our campaign has grown quickly over the past week since John won the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate, but I wanted to take a minute to introduce myself, in case we haven’t met yet.
I’m Gisele Barreto Fetterman, the Second Lady of Pennsylvania. Or, as I like to call myself, the SLOP. 😂
Here I am on Election Night filling in for João.
This is the story of me and John — but it gets a little long. If you don’t have the time to read this all right now, please consider making a donation of any amount towards our campaign today. No amount is too little to make a difference.
I met John many years, three kids, and two dogs ago — before he was Pennsylvania’s next senator. Back then, he was just a guy trying to pour love into Braddock, a small steel town that helped build America, but had been left behind. He moved there to teach GED classes, and after two of his students were gunned down, he ran for mayor to stop the violence and bring back jobs.
I read about the work John was doing, and I was inspired. Long story short? I joined him in Braddock, he fell madly in love with me, we got married, and we’ve been working together ever since to make sure no one is left behind.
But really, though. I immigrated to this country with my mom when I was just a kid. I was a DREAMer. And when our son August heard that, he asked me: “Mommy, what did you dream about?” 😭
I told him: I dreamt about him. And that was true. But also, I dreamt about all of this.
Like so many others, I found the American dream, and made my life in Western Pennsylvania. I found love, a wonderful family, and a place I am proud to raise my children. John and I want to make sure that everyone in Pennsylvania can find the American dream here, too.
On the surface, John and I don’t seem like we’d have a lot in common. (According to the zodiac we are only 11% compatible — of course I checked!)
But what connected us then — and what connects us now — is a shared conviction: no person should be left behind, and no community should be forgotten.
John has always stood out. My grandmother Bibi used to say he had to be made that tall because it was the only way to fit his whole heart. ❤️
But it’s not just his height, his goatee, or his refusal to wear long pants — even when I beg him to — that make him different. It’s not just because John looks nothing like a politician (and is deliriously handsome, but don’t tell him I said that).
It’s because John doesn’t act like a politician. At heart, he's still that hardworking, scrappy, small-town mayor. He wants to know the people he’s serving. He feels a responsibility to each and every one of them. And he fights for people like he’d fight for a neighbor, like he’d fight for our family.
That is what makes John different. And that is what makes him tough enough to fight for Pennsylvania.
He did it in Braddock. He did it in Harrisburg. And now, he’s going to do the same thing in Washington.
Now, I’m going to be honest with you. Politics is mean — and I’m not. But the truth is, too many people in this commonwealth and this country are hurting. Too many people feel abandoned and ignored. Too many people think their best days are behind them. Nothing is more cruel than the feeling of being hopeless.
But John has a plan and a purpose to make sure Pennsylvania’s best days are ahead of us.
He’s going to fight for abortion rights.
He’s going to fight to raise the minimum wage and protect the union way of life.
He’s going to fight to protect our planet.
He’s going to fight to eliminate the filibuster.
He’s going to fight to legalize cannabis.
He’s going to fight against gun violence.
He’s going to fight against inflation and corporate greed.
And he’s going to fight so this country starts making things in America again — the way it once did in Braddock.
Of course, the general election is less than six months away. And because Pennsylvania is our #1 chance to pick up a Democratic seat in the Senate, this race will likely be the biggest, most competitive, and most watched race in the country. (It’s already the most expensive! 🤯)
But it might also be the nastiest.
Now that John’s officially the Democratic nominee, there’s going to be more dark money, more negative ads, more lies spread about him than most of us can imagine.
It could even start tomorrow.
Fortunately, John is up to the challenge. But he can’t do it alone.
He needs your help to fight back.
This race we’re running — it’s a race for the future of every community across Pennsylvania. For every small town, for every person who calls those small towns home, and for every person who’s considered leaving because they just didn’t see enough opportunities.
It’s a race for every job that’s been lost, for every factory that’s been closed, for every cost that keeps rising, and every worker who can’t keep up.
It’s a race for a better Pennsylvania, a better country.
And it’s a race that, together, we will win in November!
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Your support means the world to me, John, our family, and this whole campaign.
With love and gratitude,
Gisele ❤️
Gisele Barreto Fetterman
Second Lady of Pennsylvania (SLoP)
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