Pennsylvania's John Fetterman. The Next Richard Shelby?
There's a saying that Pennsylvania can best be described politically as a state with Philadelphia on one end, Pittsburgh on the other and Alabama in between.
The current Democrat Senator from the state, John Fetterman, has been acting strange ever since his pre-election stroke in 2022.
Things such as praising Donald Trump, talking to Steve Bannon and calling a several-block protest in Los Angeles as "anarchy."
I wouldn't be surprised if he bales on the Democrat primary in 2028 and switches to GOP.
More likely than that is that he flips this year in the hope he can build up support to win the GOP primary in 2028.
He's got his finger in the wind. But Pennsylvania weather can be quirky and quickly change.
The HONORABLE thing for him to do if he intends to switch parties would be to RESIGN (allowing the Democratic Governor, Josh Shapiro, to appoint a Democrat to fill the remaining time of a seat that voters elected a DEMOCRAT to - until a special election is held) and THEN run as a Republican. That's what Rep. (later Sen.) Phil Gramm of Texas did in 1983, just days after being sworn in from an election he won as a Democrat. He felt people elected him as a Democrat and it wouldn't be right to hold his seat after switching parties. He resigned and won the special election as a Republican.
But Fetterman probably knows that if he resigned now, Shapiro might assign someone like former Rep. Connor Lamb (D-PA), who would easily defeat Fetterman in a rematch of their 2022 primary. Moreover, the Republicans might see Fetterman as damaged goods and run someone else in a special election. Dr. Mehmet Oz might even run again.
If Fetterman is going to pull a party-switch, he is more likely to follow to the tune of Richard Shelby, the former Alabama U.S. Senator who switched parties in 1994 and continued to hold his seat in the Senate, despite being elected as a Democrat in 1992.
Sen. Fetterman has low approval among Pa. Democratic ...
Inquirer.com
https://www.inquirer.com › politics › john-fetterman-ap...
Jun 2, 2025 — A poll conducted last week by a progressive PAC found 65% of likely Democratic primary voters in the state disapprove of how Sen. John Fetterman is doing ...
John Fetterman praises Trump on Iran, steel
The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com › politics › 2025/06/02
Jun 2, 2025 — Sen. John Fetterman (Pennsylvania) continued to distance himself from his fellow Democrats on Monday.
Internal polling shows Fetterman's support is tanking with ...
Politico
https://www.politico.com › news › 2025/05/09 › senato...
May 9, 2025 — John Fetterman's popularity is sinking among Democratic voters in his backyard, according to an internal poll obtained by POLITICO — one of ...
The current Democrat Senator from the state, John Fetterman, has been acting strange ever since his pre-election stroke in 2022.
Things such as praising Donald Trump, talking to Steve Bannon and calling a several-block protest in Los Angeles as "anarchy."
I wouldn't be surprised if he bales on the Democrat primary in 2028 and switches to GOP.
More likely than that is that he flips this year in the hope he can build up support to win the GOP primary in 2028.
He's got his finger in the wind. But Pennsylvania weather can be quirky and quickly change.
The HONORABLE thing for him to do if he intends to switch parties would be to RESIGN (allowing the Democratic Governor, Josh Shapiro, to appoint a Democrat to fill the remaining time of a seat that voters elected a DEMOCRAT to - until a special election is held) and THEN run as a Republican. That's what Rep. (later Sen.) Phil Gramm of Texas did in 1983, just days after being sworn in from an election he won as a Democrat. He felt people elected him as a Democrat and it wouldn't be right to hold his seat after switching parties. He resigned and won the special election as a Republican.
But Fetterman probably knows that if he resigned now, Shapiro might assign someone like former Rep. Connor Lamb (D-PA), who would easily defeat Fetterman in a rematch of their 2022 primary. Moreover, the Republicans might see Fetterman as damaged goods and run someone else in a special election. Dr. Mehmet Oz might even run again.
If Fetterman is going to pull a party-switch, he is more likely to follow to the tune of Richard Shelby, the former Alabama U.S. Senator who switched parties in 1994 and continued to hold his seat in the Senate, despite being elected as a Democrat in 1992.
Sen. Fetterman has low approval among Pa. Democratic ...
Inquirer.com
https://www.inquirer.com › politics › john-fetterman-ap...
Jun 2, 2025 — A poll conducted last week by a progressive PAC found 65% of likely Democratic primary voters in the state disapprove of how Sen. John Fetterman is doing ...
John Fetterman praises Trump on Iran, steel
The Washington Post
https://www.washingtonpost.com › politics › 2025/06/02
Jun 2, 2025 — Sen. John Fetterman (Pennsylvania) continued to distance himself from his fellow Democrats on Monday.
Internal polling shows Fetterman's support is tanking with ...
Politico
https://www.politico.com › news › 2025/05/09 › senato...
May 9, 2025 — John Fetterman's popularity is sinking among Democratic voters in his backyard, according to an internal poll obtained by POLITICO — one of ...
The poll is likely to take on new relevance as Democrats in Pennsylvania increasingly talk behind the scenes about the prospect of a primary challenge against Fetterman in 2028.
Fetterman, who lives just outside Pittsburgh, is underwater with likely Democratic voters in the city. Forty-nine percent said they have an unfavorable impression of him, while 46 percent said they have a favorable impression, according to the survey. By way of comparison, the poll showed 82 percent view Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro favorably, versus 13 percent unfavorably.
Fetterman, who lives just outside Pittsburgh, is underwater with likely Democratic voters in the city. Forty-nine percent said they have an unfavorable impression of him, while 46 percent said they have a favorable impression, according to the survey. By way of comparison, the poll showed 82 percent view Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro favorably, versus 13 percent unfavorably.
36-40, FVIP
