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Research Paper: Elections, Participation, Partied, and Interest Groups
Shoun Soi-King
Helms School of Government, Liberty University
GOVT 327
Professor Piedmont
June 10, 2022
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Research Paper: Elections, Participation, Partied, and Interest Groups
Introduction
The senate race that will be examined is the Pennsylvania Senate race that will
culminate in the 2022 November 18 election. This race is for the seat soon to be vacated by
senator Pat Toomey, who has been serving since 2011. “The election will fill the Class III Senate
seat held by Pat Toomey ®, who first took office in 2011”[ CITATION Uni22 \l 1033 ]. This
senate election makes Pennsylvania a battleground state. Following the 2020 Senate elections
and the January 2021 runoffs in Georgia, Democrats and Republicans slit the chamber 50-50.
This gave Vice President Kamal Harris (D) a tie-breaking vote, and Democrats control of the
U.S. Senate via a power-sharing agreement”[ CITATION Uni22 \l 1033 ]. As a result, this
election in PA, is very important for not only the state, but the senate composition. Incumbent
Senator, Pat Toomey, is vacating the seat, leaving the race between, primarily, John Fetterman as
the democratic party nominee, and Mehmet Oz, as the Republican Party nominee. The candidate
of interest for this analysis will be John Fetterman, the democrat nominee candidate.
Analysis
John Fetterman, the democratic candidate for the senate race, is an interesting and non-
conventional candidate. He is a Pennsylvania native, born to tannage parents, and he grew up in
York, PA. He put himself through college at Albright college and followed by serving through
the AmeriCorps. He eventually continued his education at Harvard, and returned to PA, and
contributed back into the community. His platform reflects that of a typical democratic
candidate. His platform emphasizes a living wage of 15$ and hour, healthcare, climate change
initiative, marijuana legalization, Black Lives Matter, pro-life, LGTBQIA+ equal protections,
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and an Anti-corporation stance. His platform is very straightforward and exceptionally left
leaning. He won fifty-eight percent of the nominee vote in the primaries, and he is highly favored
within his circles. The district is comprised of 92.9% white people as the majority race, with a
median household of $52,492. It is a majority republican district, with the incumbent being a
republican nominee[ CITATION Pen22 \l 1033 ]. For example, Pat Toomey, the incumbent, is a
fairly conservative candidate who’s platforms support second amendment rights, common sense
environment policies, pro-life, and foreign policy agendas[ CITATION Iss22 \l 1033 ]. To
contrast, Fetterman’s policies and issues platform is perhaps too liberal for the district. Fetterman
should change his policies to reflect that of the district, answering the concerns and beliefs they
may hold. His platform focuses on issues that are more predominant in urban settings. It seems
that he is a bit out of touch with the district he wishes to serve and may have an overly ambitious
platform.
Interest Groups, Lobbyists, and Political Action Committees
Firstly, it is important to understand that John Fetterman does not believe in PACS and
corporations being involved in politics, and he will not be accepting any donations from those
groups in his campaign. As for interest groups, he would most likely need the support of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the National Abortion and
Reproductive Rights Action interest groups. These groups tend to donate the most according to
OpenSecrets.org. “Contributions from Democratic/liberal interests come from progressive
groups, as well as party committees like the Democratic Congressional Campaign
Committee[ CITATION Sum22 \l 1033 ]. These groups also align strongly with the major issue
points on Fetterman’s platform. As Fetterman is not willing accept any money from corporations
and doesn’t seek any contributions, he should most likely try to bolster his campaign funds
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through these interest groups.
Tillerman should also be protected from certain interest groups. He should be protected
from the National Rifle Association interest group, and the Koch Industries interest group. These
groups heavily fund the republican senate, and fight for policies contradicting key areas of his
platform. For example, the N.R.A interest group fights adamantly, across the nation, for the
protection of Second Amendment right, which he will most likely be voting against.
Additionally, the Koch Industries advocates and defends Big Oil. They are one of the most
powerful interest groups in the nation, and they target politicians that work vote for policies that
try to protect the environment, and that are against climate change.
It would be important for Fetterman to heavily rely on generating strong funding from
interest groups that support democrats, precisely, social and environment interest groups. Due to
his unwillingness to accept money from corporations, he will most likely suffer from his lack of
funds. Additionally, he is “low hanging fruit” for groups that are against his platform,
considering he lives in a heavily republican area. This perfect storm of strategic shortcomings
might prove to be overwhelming for Fetterman. However, I would counsel to heavily rely on
social and environment interest groups. His congressional district is a battleground for the senate,
and he could rally generous amounts of funding considering the importance the seat in congress
holds. If he is tactically astute, he could overcome his disadvantaged position in the race.
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Bibliography
Issues . (2022). Retrieved from Pat Toomey United States Senator for Pennsylvania :
https://www.toomey.senate.gov/about/issues
Pennsylvania's 15th Congressional District. (2022). Retrieved from Ballotpedia:
https://ballotpedia.org/Pennsylvania%27s_15th_Congressional_District
Summary . (2022). Retrieved from OpenSecrets :
https://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?ind=Q02
United States Senate election in Pennsylvania, 2022. (2022). Retrieved from Ballotpedia :
https://ballotpedia.org/United_States_Senate_election_in_Pennsylvania,_2022
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