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Posted on 08/26/2026 6:42:22 AM PDT by Twotone
Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman might want to trade in his black hoodie for an elephant badge if he wants to keep his seat in the Senate: New polling suggests that he could find friendlier terrain on the Republican side of the aisle than among the Democrats who elected him.
According to a shocking poll from The New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Siena College, Fetterman has become a complete outcast in his own party. The survey reveals Fetterman is underwater at a brutal -41 approval rating with Democrats, while boasting a staggering +52 favorability rating with Republicans.
The jaw-dropping numbers come as Fetterman continues a high-profile, scorched-earth streak against his own party’s hard-Left wing, positioning himself as a moderate willing to lock arms with Republicans on key national security, energy, and foreign policy battles.
Fetterman’s rift with the Left was on full display when he slammed “AI doomsdaying” last week, aligning himself with President Donald Trump’s aggressive stance on artificial intelligence and data centers to counter China. Fetterman publicly rejected “political pandering and hyperbole over data centers,” taking aim at Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), who wants a stop on AI development, which Fetterman blasted as a “China First” policy.
Fetterman has also ripped into Sanders over his support for controversial figures. In July, he referred to Sanders’ support for former Maine Democratic Senate candidate Graham Platner, snapping, “I would really call Bernie Sanders to apologize for pushing this kind of predator — more than anyone he helped [to] elect — and now apologize to the victims, especially the woman that she claimed that he raped her, so I don’t know why you want to keep pushing these kinds of people. Maybe he should consider [sitting] a few out and stop pushing these kinds of communists, and now people like P. Hustle. Now he has been credibly accused of rape — and that’s fairly recent, too, that was only less than five years ago.”
Fetterman’s willingness to cross party lines isn’t new. He previously made waves by backing Republicans in carving out the filibuster to end a government shutdown. Fetterman also noted that Left-leaning networks like MS NOW stopped booking him once he began speaking out against his party’s consensus, while conservative outlets welcomed his no-nonsense style.
The biggest breaking point, however, remains foreign policy. Appearing on Fox News’ “Hannity,” Fetterman declared there was one thing that could push him straight out of the Democratic Party: if anti-Israel hostility officially becomes part of the party platform. Fetterman warned that “rank antisemitism” is being allowed to flourish on the far-Left and on college campuses. He remains the only Senate Democrat to vote against every Iran war-powers resolution this year.
In July, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) was asked, “Senator Fetterman has indicated that if Democrats officially become anti-Israeli, he would leave the party. Have you had any conversations with him about maybe joining the GOP conference, and would you welcome him if he were to follow that path?”
Thune replied, “Yes, we would welcome him. I haven’t talked to him recently. I have had conversations with him in the past, as have many of my colleagues, about the challenges he faces in his caucus. There are many of us who I think would welcome the opportunity to have him join the Republican conference but you know ultimately that’s a decision that’s left up that’s up to him.”
“I mean, this is a party that’s moving further and further, more radically, and to the more extreme Left on a lot of issues,” Thune added. “And I think people like John Fetterman, who have views that probably reflect a more moderate or at least historically moderate Democrat position, are really kind of people without a home. So if he ever comes to the conclusion that he’s ready to move, we would certainly welcome it.”
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I don’t trust him. He only votes with our side when his vote doesn’t matter. Why’d he run as a democrat? The whole thing stinks.
Another Collins
I don’t trust any politician. But Fetterman was genuinely horrified by the vile 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. He could have gone with the standard Democrat stance. Denounce Hamas, while at the same time make excuses for them.
But not Fetterman. He stood 100% for Israel. I respect that.
If he supported the Right to Life, I would vote for him
If he supported the Right to Life, I would vote for him
Roe vs Wade was overturned, how much more help could he be there?
Precisely. He has never voted on the right side when it made a difference not a a single time and he never will
His wife is/was a big time Dem activist. He's too big for the couch.
His parents are life long Republicans.
“I don’t trust him. He only votes with our side when his vote doesn’t matter.”
You are correct (I noticed the same), but for the few times Senators have flipped to our side, they generally vote much better once they don’t have to worry about their radical base.
The best we may hope for on John Fetterman is that he leaves the Democratic party as it is now constituted and become an independent, and only occasionally siding fully with the “red” side.
Take what you can get, still more reliable than Murkowski.
He’s still a lefty just not a radical insane lefty. Which makes him look good in contrast. He’s easily the best candidate the Dems could run on 2028 but the far left would never stand for it.
I trust him but think he can be far.more helpful to the cause of freedom as a Democrat. Now the media must cover him. If he switched he becomes just another Republican to ignore.
What issues is he “left” on?
He’s a useful idol, to be used for election time, but he’s NOT in any way a Republican.
Even too liberal to be a RINO!
Spending. Election security.
If he switched, would he change his tune on those things?
Pennsylvania is weird and a history lesson is called for on this subject.
2004-Pat Toomey challenged Arlen Specter(remember him?) for the senate GOP nomination. I remember him because I was sick of Specter and sent $10 to Toomey. It went against the wishes of my favorite senator Rick Santorum who only supported Specter because of Specter’s promise to support W’s next supreme court nominee-turned out to be Alito.
In two terms Toomey got really stale as he watched Santorum get trounced on the ‘06 wave election, thanks in big part to W. Toomey quit after 2 term while reading the tea leaves.
2022-Fetterman wins and surprises us with some of his votes. He’s doing more than throwing us a bone from time to time. He’s standing up to his enemies in a strong manner unlike Specter/Toomey. Should Dave McCormick have been nominated over Dr. Oz? Let’s just say hindsight is 20-20. Between Trump and McCormick they showed republicans how it should be done but if there was a replay of 2006 we’d be SOL. Even my hero Santorum got wobbly to stay alive politically after 2 terms.
So there you have it. Fetterman is the best we can do if the seat is democrat. We’ll run a sacrificial lamb against him in ‘28. Should we take the seat we can count on the same wishy washy stuff continuing. Conner Lamb might challenge him on the left. We’ll see.
If I were forced to bet, I’d bet that the Democrat Party will successfully oust Fetterman in the 2028 primary. His replacement will certainly be worse.
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