Sen. John Fetterman's slow lurch to the right has made him enemies among his own party and earned him the nickname "Trump's favorite Democrat," and now, per a report from The Atlantic, he is also helping figures in MAGA-world make bank.
In a piece published Wednesday, the outlet reported that Fetterman, the first-term Democrat from Pennsylvania, found himself working with a MAGA-friendly, "GOP-aligned" fundraising entity, Blitz Digital, after his previous Democratic firm, MissionWired, parted ways with him over the summer. The report further cited internal communications about a fundraising pitch signed by Fetterman — in which he pledged to "always going to reject Socialism and the anti-American way of life" and accused his own party of being hijacked by socialists — "doing crazy numbers" for the company.
"Shortly [after leaving MissionWired], he forged a joint fundraising committee with Pennsylvania’s other senator, Dave McCormick, a Republican," The Atlantic explained. "In July, Fetterman joined a group of Republican politicians for a retreat with Fox News executives at Rupert Murdoch’s ranch in Montana. On September 9, he spoke in a recorded address at Trump’s midterm convention in Dallas, delivering a message about rejecting socialism that would feature in his fundraising solicitation later that month."
The report added later: "Days after speaking at the midterm convention, Fetterman’s political operation began working with a Republican-aligned firm to start arranging emails and text messages to acquire new conservative donors, which were first reported by The Intercept. Fetterman’s missives were circulated by more than a dozen political operations with domain names such as America1stWarRoom.com, ConstitutionPatriots.com, RedMajorities.com, TheDesantisDaily.com, and TrumpTruths.org, according to records collected by the Archive of Political Emails. The new effort deepens the mystery around his political intentions and is a cause for concern for Democratic leaders. Fetterman’s refusal to limit himself to the Democratic ecosystem could matter a great deal next year, especially if he finds himself as the decisive swing vote and holds the power to decide which party will control the Senate."
Fetterman's increasing tendency to voice more right-leaning stances has led to widespread concerns among the Democratic Party that he could make himself a grave nuisance in the Senate after the midterms. If the party manages to wrest the majority away from Republicans in November, there are fears that Fetterman could stall their agenda as a Joe Manchin-esque spoiler vote. Or, he could wreck their majority altogether by switching his affiliation to the GOP, an idea he has been dismissive but noncommittal about.
"One Republican digital consultant told us, after requesting anonymity to discuss the arrangements, that although the relationships Fetterman is building are unusual, fundraising-list brokers typically push the language that performs the best, and that there is clear appeal for a Democrat who is willing to echo Republican talking points about socialism," the report added. “'Assuming he believes all the things he says,' the consultant said about Fetterman, 'it is just a natural place to go, because he agrees with Republicans on some things.'"
