Independent candidate drops out of Pennsylvania Senate race, endorses Fetterman

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman (D) has picked up a new endorsement in his Senate race — and it's coming from his independent opponent.

A Fox News survey conducted in late September showed Everett Stern, an independent write-in candidate, polling at around 3 percent. It's a close race between Fetterman and the Republican nominee, Mehmet Oz, and Stern announced on Tuesday he is dropping out of the contest as to not be a "spoiler" and take votes away from Fetterman. Democracy is at risk, Stern tweeted, and he's endorsing Fetterman because "the Democrats must win. PA must be blue."

Speaking to NBC News, Stern said he wants to "make sure democracy doesn't fail," and he doesn't want voters to "waste a vote on me." Oz has the support of former President Donald Trump, and that was enough for Stern to reassess his campaign. "I could inadvertently hurt democracy, and I believe Fetterman is the better man for it," he said.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up