As the 14-year mayor of Braddock, a poor community outside Pittsburgh, Mr. Fetterman tattooed the dates of local homicides on his arm. As lieutenant governor, he has fought to pardon longtime nonviolent inmates.
Known for a casual working wardrobe of untucked tradesmens shirts and jeans, or even shorts, and for his imposing presence he is 6-foot-8 with a shaved head Mr. Fetterman, 51, hopes to appeal to some working-class white voters who drifted over to support Mr. Trump. He has lapped the field in fund-raising, pulling in $6.5 million this year.
Still, Mr. Fettermans challenge is the flip side of Mr. Lambs: He could win the May primary but be seen as too liberal for Pennsylvanias general-election voters. Hes the candidate I think many Republicans would love to face, said Jessica Taylor, an analyst for the nonpartisan Cook Political Report.
A potential liability in the primary also looms for Mr. Fetterman in a 2013 incident, when he was mayor of Braddock. After hearing what he took to be gunshots, Mr. Fetterman stopped a Black jogger and held him at gunpoint until police arrived. The man turned out to be unarmed and was released. Mr. Fetterman addressed the episode in February, explaining he had made split-second decisions when he believed a nearby school might be in danger.
Still, with police and vigilante violence against Black men a highly charged issue for Democratic voters, some party officials and strategists expressed fears that, if nominated, Mr. Fetterman could depress Black turnout. An outside group that supports the election of Black candidates has already run a radio ad in Philadelphia attacking Mr. Fetterman over the incident.
Its most certainly an issue, said Christopher Borick, a political scientist and pollster at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa. It hasnt gone away and it keeps resurfacing. It raises red flags.