Sen. John Fetterman at the Jewish Democratic Council of America’s (JDCA) 2024 Leadership Summit on May 21, 2024. (Jewish Democratic Council of America/Flickr)
During the Hill Nation Summit in Washington D.C. on July 15, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) said he presently has "no plans" to leave the Democratic Party but added that he will leave if it becomes "the anti-Israel party." And according to NOTUS and the conservative Washington Examiner, Fetterman's frequent appearances on right-wing Fox News are fueling speculation that he is getting ready to exit the Democratic Party.
The Examiner's Judith Y. Kim reports, "Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has become one of Fox News' favorite Democratic guests, making 56 appearances on the television network this year as questions mount over his increasingly strained relationship with his own party. Upon vetting nearly 750 videos mentioning his name since the start of this year, the Washington Examiner identified over 56 appearances by Fetterman on the network as of July 19. His appearances on the cable channel favored by conservatives come as speculation intensifies on whether Fetterman, who is not up for reelection until 2028, will leave the Democratic Party."
When the Examiner asked Fetterman why he is making so many appearances on Fox News, the senator jokingly responded, "It's because I'm handsome. That's a way into my male modeling career. No, but I mean, I'd be happy to talk to anybody. I mean, like, yes, I get more invitations from Fox, but I'm happy to go on MSNBC or CNN."
In NOTUS, journalist Igor Bobic reports that Fetterman's "increasingly independent political moves" are "fueling speculation about whether he might leave the Democratic Party."
A Democratic senator, interviewed by NOTUS on condition of anonymity, said "I am concerned" when asked about the possibility of Fetterman leaving the party.
According to Yim and Bobic, Fetterman's decision to set up a joint fundraising committee with Pennsylvania's other U.S. senator, conservative Republican Dave McCormick, is also fueling speculation that he could be getting ready to leave the Democratic Party.
Fetterman discussed the committee with the Examiner, saying, "It's nothing sinister. It's just — people have joint interest in the things that we happen to agree on, if we both represent Pennsylvania."
But Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland), interviewed by NOTUS, said of the committee, "I've never seen it before. Yes, I'm struck by it."
Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) is defending Fetterman, telling NOTUS, "He votes Democratic all the time. I mean, he'd be a bad Republican."
Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-New Mexico) is expressing a big-tent view of the Democratic Party and hopes that Fetterman will stay.
Heinrich told NOTUS, "I would just encourage him to stay. I think you can have policy differences, but on balance, with the exception of one or two issues, when you look at what he cares about, I think that looks a lot more like the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. He's always, always welcome in our caucus."
