Sen. John Fetterman’s independent streak is once again drawing fire from Democrats and praise from Republicans as he reinforces his wild card image in a political party divided over strategy and messaging.
Mr. Fetterman, representing Pennsylvania, was among the eight Democrats to break ranks with the party during the government shutdown fight. To top it off, he showed up this week on “Fox & Friends” — often enemy territory for Democrats — to celebrate the end of the shutdown and knock his party while it was down.
“I think my party crossed a line,” said Mr. Fetterman, citing concerns about the 42 million Americans who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, food benefits, as well as flight safety and military pay. “That was a red line for me that I can’t cross as a Democrat,” he said, calling it a case of putting “country over party.”
Mr. Fetterman has not been afraid to cross party honchos and liberal activists.
He has become a somewhat regular presence on Fox News. He refuses to demonize President Trump and even praises some of the president’s policies, including the clampdown at the southern border and the deal-making in the Middle East.
During the shutdown saga, the former lieutenant governor and former mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, supported the Democrats’ push to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies. Still, he didn’t think a shutdown was the right way to do it. He insists shutdowns hurt too many people.
Mr. Fetterman’s independent streak has earned him criticism from the left, including from some who thought it contributed to his win in 2022. Voters thought he was cut from a similar cloth as Sen. Bernard Sanders, the democratic socialist from Vermont who has inspired a far-left revolution within the Democratic Party.
Mr. Fetterman endorsed Mr. Sanders for president in 2016, and Mr. Sanders reciprocated by backing his successful Senate bid.
He won his seat after a near-fatal stroke and a battle with depression, experiences he writes about in his new memoir, “Unfettered.”
Mr. Fetterman hasn’t, by any means, entirely abandoned liberal causes.
He holds a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood and cheered the Supreme Court’s decision this week to leave same-sex marriage alone. “Love is love — don’t [expletive] with it,” he said on X. “Freedom to pick your partner is a fundamental part of the American Way of Life.”
Still, the backlash from Democrats is growing. They think Mr. Fetterman threw in the towel right when they had Mr. Trump and congressional Republicans on the ropes, with the shutdown exposing the administration’s struggles to address inflation and rising costs, including for health care, that are hurting Americans.
Former Rep. Conor Lamb, who lost to Mr. Fetterman in the 2022 Democratic primary, has publicly questioned the senator’s judgment, fueling speculation about a possible rematch.
“He used to say he believed putting country first meant fighting for people’s health care and doing things like raising the minimum wage,” Mr. Lamb told The Washington Times. “But he doesn’t emphasize those things anymore and aligns with people who oppose them, so it’s hard to take seriously what he says about putting the country first.”
Mr. Lamb said the entire shutdown fight was about sending a message that Mr. Trump must obey the law, stop illegally firing federal workers and follow through on his campaign promise to make life more economical for people who cannot afford health coverage. The Senate deal, he wrote on social media, is “just sad.”
Mr. Fetterman’s office did not respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, polls show his popularity in Pennsylvania has jumped among Republicans and plummeted among Democrats since the beginning of the year.
Democrats disapprove of the job Mr. Fetterman is doing by a margin of 33% to 54%, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll. Meanwhile, Republicans give him high marks at a rate of 62% to 21%.
That marks a massive swing from January, when Republicans disapproved of him by a 75% to 16% margin and Democrats approved of him at a rate of 80% to 10%.
“He seems to be underwater with Democrats and above water with Republicans, which suggests he is vulnerable to a primary,” said former Rep. Charlie Dent, Pennsylvania Republican. “But he is not up [for reelection] until 2028.”
Mr. Dent said the senator’s lackluster fundraising has raised eyebrows.
Mr. Fetterman has raised only $1.2 million since the beginning of the year, leaving him with $2 million in cash on hand at the end of September.
Although Mr. Fetterman has shown he can raise money in a hurry — he raised $76 million for his 2022 campaign — his current totals trail those of other Senate Democrats facing 2028 reelection contests in other battleground states.
Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who some believe may be eyeing a presidential run, has raised $20 million and holds nearly $9 million in the bank. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia has brought in $5.8 million and has $4 million on hand. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, who joined Mr. Fetterman in voting with Republicans to end the shutdown, has raised more than $4 million and has $3.3 million on hand.
All this has sparked speculation that Mr. Fetterman may not run again.
He doesn’t seem fazed. He has continued to back Israel’s military campaign, questioned Palestinian death tolls and even floated the idea of Mr. Trump winning a Nobel Peace Prize if the Israel-Hamas ceasefire holds.
“If this sticks,” he said last month on Fox News. “I think that the whole point of having a Nobel Peace Prize is for ending wars and promoting peace.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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