John Fetterman is putting the Democratic Party’s “big tent” philosophy to the test.
The Pennsylvania senator has broken with Democrats repeatedly in recent months, voting for the Republican-backed budget bill to reopen the government, disavowing Democrats who “villainize” President Donald Trump and crossing party lines to confirm several of Trump’s Cabinet nominees.
But Democrats in the House and Senate told NOTUS they still see having Fetterman’s voice in the party as valuable. Sen. Mark Kelly told NOTUS that Democrats’ ideological diversity is one of the party’s strengths.
“We all get a vote, and we’ve got to make decisions representing our constituents,” Kelly said. “There’s a lot of viewpoints in the Democratic Party, and that’s a good thing.”
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Rep. Rosa DeLauro, ranking member on the House Appropriations Committee, said she considers Fetterman an important part of the Democratic Party. But, she added, it doesn’t matter what lawmakers have to say about him.
“It’s not a question of what we think about John Fetterman, it’s a question of what the people of Pennsylvania think about John Fetterman,” DeLauro told NOTUS. “He’s a part of the large umbrella that the Democratic Party and the Democratic institution represents.”
Fetterman’s popularity has plummeted among Democrats in Pennsylvania. Fifty-four percent of Pennsylvania Democrats disapprove of Fetterman’s job performance, according to a Quinnipiac poll released this month, down from an 80% approval rating in January 2024.
Where his popularity is surging is among Republicans in the state. In January 2024, 75% of Pennsylvania Republicans disapproved of the senator. Now, 62% approve, the poll shows.
“The startling story is, of course, the substantial surge by Fetterman among Republican voters in the state,” said Tim Malloy, a polling analyst at Quinnipiac University. “He has not turned into a Republican, but he has leaned more to the Republican philosophy.”
Malloy attributed the flip to Fetterman’s stances on immigration and Israel. The senator supported the Laken Riley Act, which made it easier for federal immigration officials to detain and deport migrants without legal status, and praised Trump for his recent Israel-Hamas peace deal. He has been unequivocally outspoken about his support for Israel and the war in Gaza.
Those positions are in sharp contrast to Fetterman’s campaign-trail persona. The senator ran as a progressive and aligned with Sen. Bernie Sanders, a democratic socialist.
That’s caused some progressive groups in Pennsylvania to push back. Pennsylvania Indivisible, a statewide group, issued a statement last week condemning Fetterman for failing to stand with Democrats against Trump. The statement follows a letter the group sent Fetterman in May asking him to step down.
Ezra Levin, co-founder of Indivisible, said party unity is important to combat what he considers an “authoritarian executive branch.” Levin said he wants to see Fetterman side more solidly with the majority of Democrats on major issues while Trump remains president.
“I think it’s totally fine to disagree with the Democratic Party on tax policy or health care policy or education policy, but there has not been a successful coalition against authoritarian overreach that does not depend on unity,” Levin said. “In the near term, his votes are hurting the opposition (to Trump).”
Fetterman’s office did not return a request for comment. He declined to speak with a NOTUS reporter on Capitol Hill.
As NOTUS reported in June, many of Fetterman’s key backers said they would continue to stand with the senator after a report from New York magazine detailed Fetterman’s health challenges and erratic behavior. More than 20 groups that endorsed Fetterman’s 2022 campaign told NOTUS the senator was still poised to help them on issues like education and advocacy for retirees.
Some legislators have also expressed measured dissatisfaction with the senator. Rep. Brendan Boyle, who represents Philadelphia and is rumored to be considering a run against Fetterman, told The Philadelphia Inquirer in September that John Fetterman “is the only Democrat on Capitol Hill that is doing Donald Trump’s bidding” after Fetterman voted with Republicans on their spending bill.
Rep. Jim McGovern, a progressive Massachusetts Democrat, also told NOTUS he disagrees with Fetterman on a number of issues.
“I don’t agree with him on a lot of stuff,” McGovern said. “I don’t agree with him siding with the Republicans right now. I don’t know enough about the Pennsylvania electorate, but I don’t agree with the stuff he’s been saying.”
But Rep. Ted Lieu, a member of House Democratic leadership, said the party has room for Fetterman so long as his constituents want him there.
“I’m not an expert on Pennsylvania, I believe that John Fetterman believes that he is doing what is best for his constituents in Pennsylvania. The Democratic Party is absolutely big enough to have John Fetterman.”
“Democrats have a long experience as a ‘big tent,’ and I don’t see that as changing anytime soon,” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse echoed.
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This story was produced as part of a partnership between NOTUS and Spotlight PA.
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