It’s pretty unconventional for a United States Senate hopeful to campaign at a bar, but then again, John Fetterman is not the conventional candidate.

Fetterman, the Mayor of Braddock, visited the Rathskeller on Monday night to speak with some members of the State College community about what exactly he plans to do during his time in office if elected. After holding a meeting with Penn State College Democrats, the candidate took to the bar to talk with locals about his plans for things such as higher education.

“We in this country have a history of finding resources and money for things we deem the priority,” Fetterman said, “and we in this state particularly have not made our public education a priority. Tuition keeps going up and up. In a perfect world, in an ideal world, no matter what background you come from, you should be able to come here, get an amazing education, and be able to go out and do whatever you want to with your life. That’s the promise of what higher education should be.”

Backing Fetterman on his campaign is former Penn State linebacker and current graduate student Ben Kline. Kline has been very active in the campaign and stands with him on several issues, but mostly with his work in revitalizing old industrial towns in Pennsylvania. Kline is from York, an industrial town where the economy often fluctuates. Kline said he was lucky to have help with a football scholarship as a student, however that isn’t the case for many students throughout the state.

“One of his big things is creating opportunities for people who don’t have them,” Kline explained. “When you go to a school as expensive as Penn State is, a candidate that can make a place as special as this accessible to people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to do that, through his policies and being a voice of change in that regard, I think that could allow people to come here and experience this place that wouldn’t be able to do that.”

The Senate hopeful is also happy to have people like Kline along for the ride. “He’s awesome and it’s a huge honor,” Fetterman said. “He’s like the canary in a coal mine. If I can get him I must be doing something right, getting someone of his caliber.”

Fetterman will continue to travel around the state campaigning to gain important votes from cities like Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Right now his only complaint is he misses his three young kids at home.