A joint appearance featuring U.S. Sens. John Fetterman and Dave McCormick scheduled for Saturday in Pittsburgh — which already had been subject to a location change after activists said they would show up to protest the paid event — was canceled on Friday.
People who paid $32, plus fees, for the event received an update that it was postponed “due to an unforeseen logistical issue,” and that it will be rescheduled.
The update from “Team McCormick” and “Team Fetterman” said the organizers “regret any inconvenience” and offered full refunds.
The event’s location had not been revealed.
Attendees were supposed to get a notification 24 hours ahead of time of the location, Pennlive.com reported, but got the postponement instead.
Fetterman and his wife, Gisele, were originally set to appear with McCormick and his wife, Dina Powell, at City Winery in Pittsburgh on Saturday to promote a book about mentorship authored by the McCormicks called “Who Believed in You?” People who paid to attend would get a copy of the book.
But then the location was switched to a new, undisclosed venue.
“Our senators appear to have caught wind of the fact that their constituents want to be heard. And instead of HOLDING TOWN HALLS, they have moved their paid book event (the subject of this protest) to an UNDISCLOSED LOCATION,” said organizers of a protest page on Facebook called “Search Party; Have You Seen our Senators?”
The organizers said they would still proceed with a scheduled 12 p.m. Saturday demonstration at Schenley Plaza in Pittsburgh.
The Democratic Fetterman and Republican McCormick have touted their friendly working relationship.
It’s been more than two months since Fetterman held a public event in Pennsylvania. McCormick on Tuesday held his first town hall, which was online only, since becoming Pennsylvania’s senator. The tele-town hall was advertised 30 minutes before it started via a post on McCormick’s X account.
Fetterman, the only Senate Democrat to visit President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort this year, has steadfastly dismissed angry complaints from many of his Democratic constituents about his vote to approve a Republican bill funding the federal government and averting a shutdown, as well as his staunch support of Israel.
“He’s just a commonsense person, which is beautiful,” Trump said after meeting Fetterman.
Fetterman has been critical of the Trump administration, including on Friday when he denounced a move by Trump to strip unionization rights from federal workers.
Representatives for Fetterman and McCormick could not be reached for comment Friday.
Staff writer Julia Terruso contributed to this article.