Senator John Fetterman has increasingly drawn the ire of Democrats for his outspoken support of bipartisan policies.
Pennsylvania’s top Democrats are preparing a primary challenge against Sen. John Fetterman, according to several major outlets. Fetterman, who flipped a GOP-held seat in 2022, has become an independent voice and has expressed support for policies from President Trump’s administration. Reps. Brendan Boyle and Chris Deluzio have been floated as potential primary challengers, with Boyle criticizing Fetterman several times. Others in the party are hopeful Fetterman, who suffered a stroke during his initial senate run and deals with depression, would opt against reelection in 2028.
Fetterman dismissed suggestions from anchor Bill O’Reilly at a NewsNation town hall event that he might leave the Democratic Party to register as an Independent — a rare but not unheard-of move for a sitting senator. Fetterman told O’Reilly that he focuses on “calling balls and strikes” and reiterated he felt the need to “pick a side.” O’Reilly cited the recent reports of his planned ouster and Fetterman’s outspoken support of Israel as key reasons he could change his party affiliation. Most recently, Democrats Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin left the Democrat party and registered as Independents while still in office. Fetterman also defended Trump voters during the appearance, rejecting claims from some in his party that the former president’s supporters are ‘fascists.’
This month, Fetterman drew headlines for breaking with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and voting for a Republican-led funding bill to avert a shutdown. After the shutdown passed the two-week mark, Fetterman doubled down on his criticisms of Schumer and other top Democrats.
“I follow country, then party,” Fetterman said on Wednesday. He noted many of his constituents are restless and angry, expressing frustration with the government shutdown as well as the state of the war in the Middle East before the recent historic ceasefire agreement. Fetterman added, “I would love to have a conversation on health care. But the shutdown is wrong for the country… I can’t vote for shutting the government down.”
Despite his willingness to buck his own party, Fetterman remains broadly popular in Pennsylvania, especially among his moderate constituents. Fetterman highlighted that polling data when asked for comment during the NewsNation townhall about Democrats’ effort to challenge him in 2028. He also pushed back against his party’s assertion that he widely supports President Trump’s agenda, circling voting data that showed Fetterman siding with Republicans roughly 6% of the time. He dismissed rumors of an ouster as “clickbait”, and bashed potential challenger Brendan Boyle for calling him “Trump’s favorite Democrat.”
Fetterman’s recent bipartisan openness is not new for the senator. Shortly after Trump’s election to a second term, he told the Republican he was “rooting for him” and criticized his party for not doing the same. At the time, he was also one of very few Democrats that met with Trump and his top cabinet picks, something that earned him a rebuke from Sen. Schumer. Fetterman, an early supporter of his colleague Bernie Sander’s ill-fated Presidential bid in 2016, was highly outspoken against Trump early in his first term. He highlighted his own party’s “toxic brand” for his ideological shift, specifically pointing to Trump’s key issue of strengthening border security laws.
