John,
We both know I don’t look like a typical politician. Maybe that’s why my tattoos are *literally* the first thing people Google about me.
Well enough Googling. Today I’ll tell you about my tattoos myself, John.
On my left arm I have the zip code 15104. That’s Braddock, Pennsylvania, my home and the community I was honored to serve as mayor for 15 years. Gisele and I are raising our kids here in Braddock, right across the street from Andrew Carnegie’s first steel mill.
On my right arm I have nine different dates. These are the dates when people were killed through violence in Braddock while I served as mayor, starting in 2005. Seven out of nine were gun deaths. I actually have to get one more date added because in June of 2018, there was another tragic loss of life.
My first tattoo came after January 16, 2006. It was my second week on the job as mayor after winning my election by a single vote. I received a call and was summoned to a police crime scene where a pizza delivery man had been robbed and killed by gun violence.
Every time Braddock lost someone was the worst feeling in the world, John. In a close-knit community like Braddock, it’s very likely that you know the victim and their family. It’s an incredibly wrenching and personal experience as a mayor — but nothing compared to what the families have to go through.
In my 15 years as mayor, I worked with the community to take on gun violence and other important issues that Braddock faced every day. I helped initiate youth and art programs for the students of our community and we worked together to create a community center.
We also worked to develop buildings that had been written off, kick-started our economy, and reduced deadly violence. My proudest moment as Mayor of Braddock is when our community went 5 ½ years without the loss of life due to gun violence.
John, I’m going to the U.S. Senate believing that every community is worth fighting for. Just like Braddock.
It is my promise to you that I'll fight for you + your community as if it were my very own.
That promise is written on my arms. Literally.
Thanks for all you do,
John
John Fetterman
Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s next U.S. Senator-Elect