Key Pa. Dems to miss Biden visit, cite scheduling conflicts

By STEVE PEOPLES and MARC LEVY
Associated Press

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — When President Joe Biden goes to Pittsburgh on Friday, two of the three Democrats on Pennsylvania’s statewide ballot this spring who were invited to appear with Biden will not be in attendance. Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, a leading Senate candidate, and state Attorney General Josh Shapiro, the likely Democratic nominee for governor, will be absent because of scheduling conflicts. Another top Senate candidate, Rep. Conor Lamb, a longtime Biden supporter based in Pittsburgh, will, however, be in attendance. The notable absences come as Democrats in other states have begun taking modest steps to distance themselves from the first-term president, whose approval ratings have fallen sharply in recent months.