As election day draws near, Democratic Pennsylvania Senate hopeful John Fetterman’s health has taken a prominent role in the campaign.
However, Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) is suggesting Americans should look at his campaign and the chance he would be a senator with a “kind of disability” as a positive development.
Casey appeared on MSNBC on Wednesday and addressed concerns about Fetterman’s health.
“Even if he doesn’t make even more progress — which I think he probably will — one of the reasons he’ll be able to serve is that’s the world we live in today,” Casey began.
He explained, “We have for 32 years, for example, the Americans with Disabilities Act which allows closed captioning, which uses technology and other approaches to allow people with disabilities to fully participate.”
“It’s one of the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act. We should welcome that. We should hope and encourage more people that have any kind of disability — something very minor or something more substantial — to run for public office, be part of the governing process of the country,” he added.
Watch the video below:
Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) comments on John Fetterman's health challenges:
— The Recount (@therecount) October 12, 2022
"We should hope and encourage more people that have any kind of disability — something very minor or something more substantial — to run for public office, be part of the governing process of the country." pic.twitter.com/b654g0VrOM
Casey also said he believes if Fetterman “needs more help when he gets to the Senate,” he will “have it.”
Earlier this year, Fetterman was sidelined from the campaign for three months after he suffered a stroke.
He opened up about how the stroke has impacted his life during an interview with NBC News.
“It changes everything. Everything about it is changed,” Fetterman told NBC’s Dasha Burns.
He also shared that he still uses closed captioning to understand dialogue.
Still, he shared in September that he took a test “that confirmed that I am fully functioning in the range as well.”
In case you missed it:
Wagner: "There are viral videos, mash-ups of your…vocal errors, the things that they think suggest cognitive decline."
— Washington Free Beacon (@FreeBeacon) September 16, 2022
Fetterman: "I am absolutely fit to serve. I just took a test…that confirmed that I am fully functioning…The one side that wants to try to lie about that." pic.twitter.com/4RmoDKsXng
“All of my doctors on the team believe that I’m absolutely fit to serve,” Fetterman added.