Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has seen his approval ratings dip to match those of President Joe Biden in the Keystone State, according to a poll from Quinnipiac.
Despite Governor Josh Shapiro’s (D-PA) positive numbers after his handling of an I-95 bridge collapse, Fetterman and Biden have faced disapproval from 57% and 39% of Pennsylvanians respectively.
The negative perception towards Fetterman’s job performance may be linked to the stroke he suffered during his campaign trail last year.
Since then, he has been noted to regularly struggle with public events and Senate hearings, tripping over words and appearing disoriented at times. His office has countered such claims by pointing out that aside from auditory processing difficulties, he is functioning well.
In June 2021, a video of Fetterman went viral where he gave an incoherent speech about the I-95 highway collapse in his state which included him mentioning the name of the highway three times.
It is unclear whether this was due to poor communication skills or as a result of his stroke-related injuries but it nonetheless affected how voters view him negatively compared to their support for Gov. Shapiro who had “honeymoon approval numbers” according to polling analyst Tim Malloy.
Despite criticism, Sen. John Fetterman maintains that with treatment and in time he will make a full recovery and continue serving as Senator for Pennsylvania with integrity and commitment as usual.
Fettermans’ office maintains that aside from auditory processing difficulties caused by his stroke last May 2022 on the campaign trail, he is functioning well, however many remain skeptical since videos went viral earlier this year depicting him giving an incoherent speech about the highway collapse mentioned above – leaving some individuals believing he may not be fully recovered yet or just simply unfit for office altogether given recent events making national headlines concerning our political leaders’ incompetence when it comes to representing their voting bases faithfully.
In June, Fetterman went viral after he gave a speech about the I-95 highway collapse in his state when he started to stammer incoherently and even mentioned the name of the highway three times.
“Uh no, I – uh, would just, um, really like to, you know — the 95, 95, 95. You know?” he said.
“Obviously, you know, you’re pretty much preoccupied with uh 95. And uh, I certainly am, too. And we know it’s a major artery, not just for Pennsylvania but for the East Coast. And a lot of Pennsylvanians are worried that the delays in repairs bring to its standstill deal,” the senator said.
The Associated Press reported:
The collapsed stretch of Interstate 95 in Philadelphia will reopen within two weeks, Pennsylvania’s governor said Saturday, after joining President Joe Biden on a helicopter tour over the critical stretch of highway closed to East Coast traffic since last weekend.
“We are getting it done here in Philly,” Gov. Josh Shapiro said at a briefing at Philadelphia International Airport after the flyover that included members of Congress and the city’s mayor.
Biden outlined the substantial initial federal commitment and longer term support for a permanent fix for the vital roadway. “I know how important this stretch of highway is” to Philadelphia and the Northeast Corridor, he said. “Over 150,000 vehicles travel on it every day, including 14,000 trucks. … It’s critical to our economy and it’s critical to our quality of life.”
Shapiro, offering a timeline that would be welcome news to commuters and long-haul truckers alike, said with Biden at his side: “I can state with confidence that we will have I-95 reopened within the next two weeks. We are going to get traffic moving again thanks to the extraordinary work that is going on here.”
Senator John Fetterman on the I-95 bridge collapse in Philadelphia:
"I, uh, would just, um, really like to, you know — the 95, 95, 95. You know?" pic.twitter.com/QN84NhBmpS
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) June 16, 2023
