One-fourth of Senate Democrats will gather at a private DC event to help John Fetterman defeat Mehmet Oz
- Senate Democrats will gather in DC to raise big money for Senate candidate John Fetterman.
- At least 12 senators, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, are scheduled to attend.
Some of the nation's most powerful Democratic senators are gathering July 19 at an exclusive fundraiser in Washington, DC, to boost Senate candidate John Fetterman in Pennsylvania's pivotal US Senate race.
Fetterman, who has touted his campaign as a "grassroots" effort fueled by small-dollar donations, is facing Republican nominee Mehmet Oz in a race that will help determine whether Democrats or Republicans control the Senate in 2023.
The event — location undisclosed — is co-hosted by Sen. Bob Casey, Pennsylvania's senior senator, and is slated to feature Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Others listed on an invitation obtained by Insider include:
- Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio
- Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois
- Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York
- Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii
- Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia
- Sen. Ben Ray Luján of New Mexico
- Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon
- Sen. Gary Peters of Michigan
- Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts
Tickets to the event, which the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee is also co-hosting, begin at $1,000. "Host"-level status will cost donors $5,000.
The first $2,900 an attendee donates will go to Fetterman's campaign, with additional contributions going to the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, according to the invitation.
The invitation states that contributions from political action committees are welcome — notable in that Fetterman, currently Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor, has previously railed against the influence of corporate political action committees, specifically. He has likewise said he won't accept corporate PAC money and has vowed to "get big money out of politics".
Fetterman's campaign told Insider on Friday that the DC fundraiser will only accept PAC money from non-corporate PACs.
Unions and various special interest groups, like corporations, may also operate federal PACs.
Representatives from the DSCC did not respond to Insider's request for comment. Oz's campaign also did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Fetterman won't personally attend
While the DC event is designed to raise money Fetterman, his campaign confirmed that Fetterman himself will not attend. Fetterman had a stroke on May 13 and has since made few public appearances.
According to the Washington Post, he's still recovering and "has struggled to regain the ability to speak fluidly."
Fetterman's Senate race against Oz is poised to become one of the most expensive races in Pennsylvania history and is likely to end up one of the most expensive of the 2022 election cycle.
Fetterman has aggressively campaigned against Oz in the race, painting him as a carpetbagger from New Jersey — The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in late 2021 that the doctor recently used his in-law's address in Pennsylvania to register to vote.
Oz, who former President Donald Trump has endorsed, narrowly defeated David McCormick in the Republican primary by fewer than 1,000 votes.
On Friday, Fetterman's campaign announced that it had raised $11 million during the year's second quarter.
"We're going up against an ultra-millionaire who can pour millions of dollars of his own money into this campaign, and who has the backing of the special interest groups that fear John," wrote Brendan McPhillips, Fetterman's campaign manager. "Our campaign is funded solely by our grassroots supporters and donors kicking in a couple bucks at a time."
Oz, who has poured millions of dollars of his own money into his campaign committee, has not yet disclosed his campaign's second-quarter finances.