It’s an old saw that Democrats are chronically in “disarray.” Always that word. It’s like “hearty” with “soup.” If you think disarray, you’re supposed to think Democrats. Even at times like this, when the party is plenty well-arrayed.

A slightly newer saw is that “Democrats are bad at messaging.” This one’s wrong too — but not because Democrats are good at messaging. It’s because messaging itself is a fool’s errand. To buy a catchphrase from Don Draper and hammer away at it might have worked in 2008 or 2012. But it shouldn’t be any congressional candidate’s strategy in jaded 2022.

Which is why it’s been so refreshing to see John Fetterman, the Democratic candidate for Senate in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, continue to reject Hollywood makeovers and Madison Avenue branding. And how has that worked for him? Well, in the second quarter, Fetterman managed to set a fundraising record for a Senate race in Pennsylvania: $11 million.

From the start, no Photoshop or Auto-Tune has marred Fetterman’s doghair-festooned jacket, raggedy goatee or guttural voice. And something else off-message sealed his reputation as a man of the people. He had a stroke in May and, like millions of Americans, suffers with heart disease.

“I avoided going to the doctor, even though I knew I didn’t feel well,” he said in a statement at the time. “I want to encourage others to not make the same mistake.”

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Fetterman has been as frank about his political views as he was about his health. He’s a progressive. He’s for universal health care, Black Lives Matter, abortion rights, fossil fuel divestment, unions and a $15-minimum wage. Fetterman makes you think: Was that so hard? Democrats can appeal to working people by supporting labor and decarbonization, social justice and universal health care.

Of course he’s best known for his Rust Belt style. Currently Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, Fetterman came to prominence when Donald Trump was bellowing about his 2020 loss in Pennsylvania — and he responded with facts and snorts on cable news.

Then, during the Democratic primary, Fetterman presented a stark contrast to his opponent, Conor Lamb, a moderate with bipartisan hair — thick Kennedy locks combed into a clean Republican side part.

Fetterman is very different. He stands 6-foot-8, wears gym shorts year-round and — let’s face it — looks like someone who, swayed by a different ideology , might storm the U.S. Capitol or at least lead a caravan of antivax truckers. He beat Lamb handily for the Democratic nomination.

The hell-raiser look is not trivial. It aligns him with a rambunctious and proudly unpretty Pennsylvania energy.