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John Fetterman Reveals the Story Behind His Tattoos After Tucker Carlson Called Them 'Fake'

Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for the state's U.S. Senate seat, speaks during a rally in Erie, Pa.
Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for the state's U.S. Senate seat, speaks during a rally in Erie, Pa.

Gene J Puskar/AP/Shutterstock Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. John Fetterman, the Democratic nominee for the state's U.S. Senate seat, speaks during a rally in Erie, Pa.

Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor and U.S. Senate candidate John Fetterman is opening up about the personal meaning behind some of his tattoos, following Fox News host Tucker Carlson's claims that the ink is nothing more than a "costume."

In an op-ed published by NBC News on Sunday, 53-year-old Fetterman writes that each of the nine tattoos on his right forearm marks "a day on which someone died violently while I was mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania."

"The first one that I tattooed on my arm is '01.16.06. That's the date on which Christopher Williams was shot dead while delivering pizzas," Fetterman writes. "This was a man about my age at the time. He had a 12-year-old daughter. I just couldn't get over the fact that he was never going home to her."

Fetterman goes on to detail the other dates memorialized by his tattoos, writing that they all serve as "reminders of the people we have lost and what I am fighting for."

"My decision to mark these deaths with tattoos was inspired in part by their permanence — the fact that these people, their stories and my town will be with me forever," Fetterman writes. "I get that etching art permanently onto your body isn't how most politicians would express their connection to their communities. But I didn't care about what anyone else thought. It felt right to me."

RELATED: Pa. Senate Candidate John Fetterman Is 'Grateful' at First Appearance Since Stroke: 'My Life Could Have Ended'

Fetterman's op-ed comes weeks after Carlson spoke at length about Fetterman in his eponymous show, saying at one point: "All your stupid little fake tattoos — it's a costume. Duh. It's not real."

Fetterman is currently campaigning just months after suffering a stroke ahead of Pennsylvania's Democratic primary in May. He underwent a procedure to implant a pacemaker with a defibrillator and his doctor later revealed he has atrial fibrillation, which caused the stroke, and cardiomyopathy, which is why he got the implant.

Fetterman won his primary while in the hospital and returned to the campaign trail in August, telling his supporters he was "grateful" and "feeling great, better than I have in years" in an emotional speech.

Fetterman is currently locked in a fierce campaign against GOP nominee and former television personality Dr. Mehmet Oz.

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Fetterman's stroke has factored in to the campaign in other ways, after the Democrat had a bit of fun with a viral video of his rival's peculiar shopping trip for crudités at a supermarket.

A campaign official for Oz hit back at his Democratic rival by mocking Fetterman's recent stroke.

"If John Fetterman had ever eaten a vegetable in his life, then maybe he wouldn't have had a major stroke and wouldn't be in the position of having to lie about it constantly," Rachel Tripp, Oz's senior communications adviser, told Insider in an interview.

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Fetterman responded to the Oz campaign's swipe at his stroke in a post on Twitter, writing: "I had a stroke. I survived it. I'm truly so grateful to still be here today. I know politics can be nasty, but even then, I could *never* imagine ridiculing someone for their health challenges."