Fetterman Talks Like a Republican, Votes Like a Democrat
The GOP’s Favorite Democrat Still Votes Blue
John Fetterman was once cast as the future of the Democratic Party: a tattooed, hoodied everyman who could bridge the gap between working-class voters and the left’s urban elite.
Now, Democrats are preparing to turn on him.
Last week, Axios reported that the party is planning to primary the one-term Pennsylvania Senator over frustrations he’s become too cozy with Republicans and President Trump.
Congressman Brendan Boyle crowned Fetterman “Trump’s favorite Democrat,” while former Congressman Conor Lamb, who lost to him in the last primary, has already begun baring his claws for a 2028 rematch.
The casually dressed senator now finds himself in a peculiar position; more beloved by his political opponents than by his own base.
A recent Quinnipiac poll found that “Republicans 62 - 21 percent approve of the way Fetterman is handling his job, while Democrats 54 - 33 percent disapprove.”
That’s a marked reversal from when Fetterman first took office. Back then, Republicans disapproved of him by 75%, while Democrats approved of him by 80%.
At first glance, it’s easy to see why Fetterman has become estranged from his party. Fetterman often clashes externally with Democratic orthodoxy.
On the government shutdown, Fetterman broke with most Democrats in voting to keep the government open, warning that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s plan to tie a funding bill to Obamacare subsidies was a mistake.
“I am always going to vote country over my party and if I pay a price within my base, that’s something I am willing to do,” Fetterman told Sean Hannity last night. “It’s wrong to shut our government down.”
Fetterman has taken pro-Israel stances, praised President Trump’s historic ceasefire deal, and scolded Democrats for their silence on the accord.
Most frustrating to Democrats, Fetterman visited President-elect Trump at Mar-a-Lago to offer congratulations and discuss a potential working relationship.
If words were policy, one might wonder how Fetterman is a Democrat at all. But words are wind; easily changed and meaningless unless backed by matching action.
Fetterman’s record is clear. He is no ally to conservatives and deserves to be treated with deep suspicion.
The conservative Institute for Legislative Analysis’ GOP scorecard ranks Fetterman near the bottom of its list, noting he’s aligned with just 5.56% of the party’s platform.
Heritage Action for America’s scorecard tells a similar story, noting that Fetterman supports conservative agenda items just 7% of the time, compared to the average Senate Democrat rating of 11%.
So while Republicans may cheer Fetterman for going on Fox to say Democrats have “lost the plot,” by the numbers he’s worse than those same Senate colleagues.
The question is whether it’s better to have someone who says the right things or someone who does them. Conservatives should prefer the latter.
In Pennsylvania, that distinction has real consequences. Democratic infighting may soon make the seat easier for conservatives to reclaim, but not if we mistake a Democrat for an ally.
Early signs suggest the 2028 Pennsylvania Democratic primary will be a bruiser. Fetterman’s fundraising is in the toilet, and his party seems hellbent on making a difficult Senate map even harder.
For Republicans, Fetterman’s rebellion is should be an amusing sideshow, but not proof of an loyalty to the conservative cause. Praising him for “standing up to the Dems” gives him cover to advance leftism with a veneer of bipartisanship.
Beware the wolf in donkey’s clothing.