The Pennsylvania Democratic Senator has visited Mar-a-Lago and has signalled a willingness to support many of President Donald Trump’s nominees. Pictured: Senator John Fetterman. Photo Credit: John Fetterman/X.
When John Fetterman ran as the Democratic nominee for the Senate seat made vacant when Republican Pat Toomey retired, Fetterman was characterized as a progressive in the mould of Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, or AOC. The former mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania rose to prominence in Keystone state politics when he ran for the senate nomination in 2016 and lost, then captured the Lieutenant Governor’s slot under Governor Tom Wolf.
After announcing his 2022 bid for senate, Katie Meyer quoted Fetterman as saying, “I believe in the dignity of work and the dignity of a paycheck. I believe the union way of life is sacred. I believe in health care as a fundamental, basic human right.” Fetterman also said he believes in “environmental justice,” wants to overhaul the American criminal justice system, legalize marijuana nationwide, and thinks the country needs to increase protections for LGBTQIA people, according to Meyer in NPR’s Pennsylvania publication. These are not the rantings of a MAGA populist or a Reagan Republican. However, time changes people and clarifies issues in unpredictable ways.
When Hamas kidnapped, tortured, and murdered defenceless Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023, a switch seemed to turn in Fetterman’s brain. A victim of a serious stroke in 2022 because of stopping his atrial fibrillation medication, Fetterman survived the health crisis and won election to the Senate in 2022, defeating Republican Dr. Mehmet Oz. During his first months in office, Fetterman did little to suggest he was not the same guy everyone thought they had elected in the fall of 2022. But after the Hamas attack, all bets were off. Fetterman came out swinging and has become the darling of the conservative opposition for his stances against his party’s drift to pro-Palestinian attitudes and woke policy prescriptions.
Fetterman staked out a pro-Israeli position shortly after the infamous attack and then infuriated the Left in his party when he expressed a willingness to compromise for the sake of more restrictive immigration policies. MSNBC opinion writer Zeeshan Aleem wrote, “Fetterman’s recent statements and positions have confused some progressives and delighted some Republicans.” It’s striking to see Fetterman butt heads with groups who saw him as an ally, given that he’s a politician who has frequently described himself as a progressive, campaigned for Senator Bernie Sanders and received plaudits from America’s foremost socialist magazine for providing a compelling model of populism. “I’m not a progressive,” Fetterman told NBC News on Friday. “I just think I’m a Democrat that is very committed to choice and other things. But with Israel, I’m going to be on the right side of that. And immigration is something near and dear to me, and I think we do have to effectively address it as well.”
Since the invasion, Fetterman has remained loyal to the Democratic Party. During the 2024 election contest, he seemed to waver, sounding more conservative as the presidential election closed and then following that up with more musings that irritated his home caucus while feeding the notion that given the right circumstances, Fetterman might consider switching his party identification from (D) to (R). Most do not see Fetterman becoming a Republican as a likely outcome, but others wonder why he has so forcefully spoken out contradicting postures he recently held. Regardless, Fetterman has boldly opposed those in his party who have accused Israel of unnecessary casualties in their effort to defend the nation against Hamas. He also questioned the Harris campaign’s efforts in Pennsylvania, often complimenting Trump’s team though falling short of agreeing with their aims.
In an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Jan. 18, 2025, Marc Levy wrote, “When Democrat John Fetterman got elected to Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate seat, many backers hoped he’d challenge convention and the status quo.” Levy wrote further that Fetterman challenged convention but in an unexpected way. He has broken with the party on some issues, warmed to Donald Trump, and became the first Senate Democrat to meet with him since his election. “Mr. Fetterman has warmed to Trump so much that some in his party are quietly disavowing the man they supported in 2022,” reported Levy.
Among other issues, Fetterman has defended his willingness to meet with Trump and work with him and Senate Republicans when it makes sense. This worries Democratic strategists who still suffer nightmares about Krysten Sinema and Joe Manchin, two Democrats who provided former Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Biden Administration with disquieting positions on numerous close votes. With a shortage of Democratic votes in the new Senate, another maverick Democrat is the last thing the leadership wants to worry about going forward.
In an appearance on ABC’s This Week last month, Fetterman disavowed any talk of him leaving the Democratic Party. Senate member switching has a long history with recent examples. Most become Independents, but in the 1990s Richard Shelby of Alabama moved from Democrat to Republican and Ben Nighthorse Campbell of Colorado shifted his Democratic affiliation to Republican. With Pennsylvania going for Trump in two of the last three elections and the state increasing its Republican voter identification, Fetterman may be reading the headwinds trying to get ahead of them. More likely he wants to ensure that voters in the middle do not find him and his party’s leftward drift too extreme.
The senior senator from Pennsylvania after Republican Dave McCormick defeated long-time Democratic senator Bob Casey, Fetterman “hasn’t backed away from his bedrock issues, such as support for labour unions, abortion rights or LGBT rights.” He remains close to Democratic leaders in the state, and as Jim Burn, a former state Party Chairman observed, “Nobody can say John Fetterman was hedging bets for the Republicans because he was working his tail off for Kamala Harris all over the state.” Still, Fetterman remains a Democratic worth watching. His move to the centre and the emerging progressive dominance inside the Democratic Party could leave the Pennsylvania maverick with little choice but to join the GOP. He would not be the first to claim he did not leave his party, his party left him. Ambition and opportunity usually decide a politician’s fate. Fetterman will be worth watching as Trump 2.0 convenes.

Dave Redekop is a retired elementary resource teacher who worked part-time at the St. Catharines Courthouse as a Registrar until being appointed Executive Director at Redeemer Bible Church in October 2023. He has worked on political campaigns since high school and attended university in South Carolina for five years, earning a Master’s in American History with a specialization in Civil Rights. Dave loves reading biographies.