The Democratic Campaign To Boot Fetterman Kicks Off

With Democrats currently favored to win 56 Senate seats this year based on called races and Democratic leads in Alaska and Mississippi, Republicans have virtually no chance of retaking the chamber in 2028. This coming presidential cycle, however, one of Democrats’ biggest targets will be one of their own — Senator John Fetterman. Mr. Fetterman, elected as a progressive Democrat in 2022, has drifted away from his party both rhetorically and on key policy issues in recent years. After the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks in Israel, Mr. Fetterman made a point of not only voting to support American aid for the Jewish state, but of fiercely attacking his fellow Democrats in ways that other pro-Israel lawmakers would not. The likely next speaker of the House, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, has largely the same views on the American–Israeli relationship as Mr. Fetterman, though Mr. Fetterman has gone much farther in siding with the GOP. Other Democratic lawmakers, like Senators Jacky Rosen, Catherine Cortez Masto, Chris Coons, and Chuck Schumer, have also voted against measures overwhelmingly supported by Democratic senators which would have restricted American aid to Israel. Mr. Fetterman is up for re-election next year and, should he decide to run, will face an uphill battle in the Democratic primary — if he remains a Democrat at all. According to a poll from the New York Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer which was conducted in August, Mr. Fetterman’s statewide favorability sits at 49 percent favorable to 43 percent unfavorable, putting the Democrat six points above water in the nation’s most famous swing state. Among Democrats, however, Mr. Fetterman is about as popular as a generic moderate Republican might be. In total, just 20 percent of Pennsylvania Democrats have a favorable view of their senator compared to 69 percent who hold a negative view. Mr. Fetterman is 15 points above water with independents, with a 54 percent favorable rating and a 39 percent unfavorable rating. The most striking poll result, though, comes from the Republican crosstab. According to the Times–Inquirer poll, Mr. Fetterman has a higher net favorable rating with Pennsylvania Republicans than Senator Dave McCormick, the Keystone State’s other senator who is himself a Republican. Mr. McCormick’s favorable rating among members of the GOP is 66 percent to ten percent, a margin of 56 points. Mr. Fetterman’s favorable rating among Republicans is 79 percent 17 percent — a 62-point net favorable margin. Democrats in the state have made clear that they want Mr. Fetterman gone, and that campaign subtly kicked off on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after Democrats were projected to win control of both Houses of Congress by commanding margins. One of those Democrats who could challenge Mr. Fetterman — Congressman Brendan Boyle of Philadelphia — quickly took himself out of contention for the Senate race on Wednesday, more than two years before the 2028 general election will be held. Mr. Boyle’s public declaration that he would not challenge Mr. Fetterman is a kind of signaling that someone else very much will do so. “For months, many of my supporters have urged me to consider running for U.S. Senate in 2028. I have always said, both privately and publicly, that after the November 2026 election was over, I would make a decision based on one simple question: where can I have the biggest impact on public policy?” Mr. Boyle said in a statement less than 24 hours after polls closed. He said he will instead seek re-election in the House in 2028 when he is serving as chairman of the Budget Committee. There are a host of Democrats who could run against Mr. Fetterman, including other western Pennsylvania populists. Congressman Chris Deluzio, who represents the suburbs of Pittsburgh, has shown an interest in running whether or not Mr. Fetterman seeks a second term. “I will look at it at the time when it comes,” Mr. Deluzio said over the summer.

The Democratic Campaign To Boot Fetterman Kicks Off

The Democratic Campaign To Boot Fetterman Kicks Off

More from the New York Sun

House Republicans Prepare for Series of Nasty Leadership Fights After Johnson Leaves the Stage

Melania Trump Tries Her Southern Slav Magic on Russians and Ukrainians

Beware the Unintended Consequences of Wealthy Leftists’ So-Called Effective Altruism

Midterm Election Bruises Trumpism, but Unlikely To Prove an Extinction Event for Republicans

Too-Close-To-Call Race for Mississippi Senate Leaves Democrats Eyeing Another Takedown of GOP Stronghold

The Republicans Take a Licking, but the Economic Boom Will Not Be Stopped

President Herzog Urges Israeli Unity Coalition

Burned in the Midterms, Calls To Overthrow New York Republican Leadership Gain Steam

More from the New York Sun

House Republicans Prepare for Series of Nasty Leadership Fights After Johnson Leaves the Stage

Melania Trump Tries Her Southern Slav Magic on Russians and Ukrainians

Beware the Unintended Consequences of Wealthy Leftists’ So-Called Effective Altruism

Midterm Election Bruises Trumpism, but Unlikely To Prove an Extinction Event for Republicans

Too-Close-To-Call Race for Mississippi Senate Leaves Democrats Eyeing Another Takedown of GOP Stronghold

The Republicans Take a Licking, but the Economic Boom Will Not Be Stopped

President Herzog Urges Israeli Unity Coalition

Burned in the Midterms, Calls To Overthrow New York Republican Leadership Gain Steam