Fetterman and Oz to face off Tuesday in only debate of marquee Pennsylvania Senate race
By Mark Joseph Stern
January 25, 2014
Pennsylvania’s two senators are facing off in a marquee ballot race for the first time. Here’s a quick look at the candidates.
John Fetterman: D.
The two-term Republican incumbent is seeking his party’s highest ranking. Fetterman is the chairman and chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and is a vocal opponent of President Obama’s economic policies.
The incumbent is vying with Democrat Jay Costa, one of the state’s two U.S. House members, and a former congressman from the 11th congressional district. Costa’s district is largely suburban Harrisburg, but he’s also got votes in the city’s suburbs, and the two share a mutual foe: President Obama.
Costa, of course, has his own well-financed campaign, and is likely to be aided by the president.
Mark M. Tjebo: R.
The first Republican to represent the state’s 10th district in the U.S. House since the mid-1960s, Tjebo is a former state senator from the 5th district.
In his campaign, Tjebo will continue to seek a seat with a lot of geographic overlap with the two other senators mentioned above. However, one of his main campaign themes is opposition to Democratic Gov. Tom Corbett.
“He’s a self-proclaimed liberal, and his approach to government has been the opposite of what Pennsylvania’s voters want,” Tjebo said. “Instead of supporting our veterans, he’s cut their benefits. Instead of supporting our seniors, he’s cut them off. Instead of supporting our workers … he’s outsourced so much of the state’s jobs to foreign countries.”
Costa does not have the same kind of geographic crossover with F
