Mar 14, 2025 - Politics

Scoop: McCormick and Fetterman unite for Pittsburgh event on youth mentorship

Ryan Deto

Pennsylvania Senators Dave McCormick and John Fetterman — Sens. Dave McCormick (left) and John Fetterman will host their first public event together in Pittsburgh. Photo: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images and Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Pittsburgh's U.S. Senate duo Republican Dave McCormick and Democrat John Fetterman are hosting their first-ever joint event later this month in the city.

Why it matters: Pennsylvania is one of just two states with a Republican and a Democratic senator, and McCormick and Fetterman have agreed to lay down the partisan swords in the name of addressing important Pennsylvania and national issues.

Driving the news: The two are hosting a conversation in Pittsburgh with their wives, Dina Powell McCormick and Gisele Fetterman, on March 29 focused on how mentorship programs can be improved for youth struggling with learning loss brought on by the pandemic.

Context: No state showed improvements in both math and reading from 2019 to 2024, according to the Nation's Report Card, a national assessment of math and reading achievement.

Pennsylvania ranked 38th in math recovery and 31st in reading recovery in the Educational Recovery Scorecard.

State of play: John Fetterman started his career in Pittsburgh at Americorps in the 1990s and Gisele has mentored youth as part of her work at the Free Store, a local nonprofit she co-founded that works to redistribute surplus donated goods to Pittsburghers in need.

The McCormicks wrote "Who Believed in You?" — a new book designed to kickstart a national mentoring movement — which comes out April 1.

Proceeds from the event will go to the Free Store.

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Scoop: McCormick and Fetterman unite for Pittsburgh event on youth mentorship

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