Talking to Pennsylvania's candidates in Democratic U.S. Senate primary about the rural vote

WJAC, a television station out of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, chatted with the three top contenders for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate about how to garner the rural vote.  Here's what they said.  

John Fetterman, Lt. Governor, gave the most rural-specific response: 

Infrastructure is critical. I would never be the kind of senator that votes against your broadband expansion or your bridge project and show up for the ribbon-cutting.

Journalist Douglas Braff provides this context on Fetterman:  

The towering candidate, dressed in a black hoodie, added that Democrats need to appeal to farmers, touting his so-called "right-to-repair" platform.

Next, Braff is on to U.S. Congressman Conor Lamb, from Pittsburgh, whose focus is on listening--and on his military service:

Lamb, a moderate, told 6 News he's "an effective legislator who's gonna get things done," having worked with both Presidents Donald Trump and Joe Biden.

"I've seen, at least, a lot of rural voters feel like the Democrats are coming and talking at them all the time and trying to tell them what to do. I always show up and just listen to people," the Pittsburgh-area congressman said. "And I talk about my service in the Marine Corps and the way it makes me feel like Americans really can get along and go after the same mission and same goals together."

And when it comes to rural voters, Lamb said it's all about the economy.

"Costs are going up for a lot of people right now," he explained. "And I know it's affecting farms in particular, but really just anyone's life, a normal person day-to-day, food and gas is all getting more expensive."

Finally, Braff has this on state representative Malcolm Kenyatta, from north Philly, who is the least rural-specific in his comments.  Kenyatta is a Black man, which means his response suggests the opportunity for cross-racial coalition building among the socioeconomically disadvantaged.  Here's that response: 

Kenyatta told 6 News the key to winning rural votes means going everywhere, talking to everybody, and "disrupt" what he thinks is a disconnect between Philadelphia and rural Pennsylvania.

"Every place I go, people are asking, 'What are we gonna do to make sure we make America's basic bargain real for every family,' the idea that you can have one good job backed up by a union, that your kids can go to a good, fully funded school... If you get sick, you can go to the dang doctor and be able to fill the prescription when you leave the appointment," the North Philadelphia native explained.

Kenyatta said he thinks his working-class background will help get those key votes in the general election.

"I feel strongly that we need a working-class person in the U.S. Senate," he said. "I grew up in a working poor family. My dad was a social worker. My mom was a home healthcare aid, and I know in my bones what happens when government works or doesn't work for working people."

Johnstown is 60 miles east of Pittsburgh and has a population just over 20,000.  The dateline for the story was Centre County, home of Pennsylvania State University, in State College, PA.  Centre County is just to the northeast of Cambria County, which includes Johnstown.  

Here is some prior coverage of Fetterman's efforts to attract the rural vote in the race for this U.S. Senate seat from Pennsylvania.  

And here is a recent Politico story about how the Washington, DC, Democratic establishment has made its peace with Fetterman, who is the front-runner among the Democratic candidates at this point.