Sen. John Fetterman’s maverick mantra of ‘country over party’ increasingly frustrates fellow Dems

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman’s independent streak is once again drawing fire from Democrats and praise from Republicans, as he reinforces his wildcard image in a political party divided over strategy and messaging.

Mr. Fetterman was among the eight Democrats to break ranks with the party during the government shutdown fight. To top it off, he showed up the next day on “Fox & Friends” — often enemy territory for Democrats — to celebrate the outcome and knock his party while it was down.

“I think my party crossed a line,” Mr. Fetterman said, citing concerns about the 42 million Americans who rely on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, food benefits, flight safety and military pay. “That was a red line for me, that I can’t cross as a Democrat,” he said, calling it a case of putting “country over party.”

Mr. Fetterman has not been afraid to cross party honchos and liberal activists.

He has become a bit of a regular on Fox News, refusing to demonize President Trump and even praising some of the president’s policies — including the clampdown at the southern border and deal-making in the Middle East.

In the shutdown saga, the ex-lieutenant governor and former mayor of Braddock, Pennsylvania, backed the Democrats’ push to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies. Still, he didn’t think a shutdown was the right way to get it done. He insists shutdowns hurt too many people.

Mr. Fetterman’s independent streak has earned him heat from the left, including some who thought he helped elect him in 2022, thinking he was cut from a similar cloth as Sen. Bernard Sanders, the democratic socialist from Vermont who has inspired a far-left revolution within the Democratic Party.

Mr. Fetterman endorsed Mr. Sanders for president in 2016, and Mr. Sanders reciprocated by backing his successful Senate bid.

That victory came after a near-fatal stroke and a battle with depression — experiences he writes about in his new memoir, “Unfettered.”

Still, Fetterman hasn’t, by any means, entirely abandoned liberal causes.

He holds a 100% rating from Planned Parenthood and cheered the Supreme Court’s recent decision to leave same-sex marriage alone. “Love is love — don’t [expective] with it,” he said on X. “Freedom to pick your partner is a fundamental part of the American Way of Life.”

Still, the backlash is growing. 

Former Rep. Conor Lamb, who lost to Mr. Fetterman in the 2022 Democratic primary, has publicly questioned the incumbent’s judgment, fueling speculation about a possible rematch.

“What is in it that is so great?” Mr. Lamb said in a video posted on X after the Senate deal was announced. “I am a former member of Congress, and a lawyer, and I have been looking at it all evening, and I can’t tell what the Democrats are achieving.”

He said, “It’s just sad.”

Mr. Lamb said the entire shutdown fight was about sending a message to Mr. Trump that he must obey the law, stop illegally firing federal workers, and follow through on his campaign promise to make life more affordable for people who cannot afford health coverage.

Mr. Fetterman’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Meanwhile, polls show his popularity in the state has jumped among Republicans and plummeted among Democrats since the beginning of the year.

By margins of 33% to 54% and 62% to 21 %, Democrats disapprove of the job Mr. Fetterman is doing, compared to Republicans who give him high marks, according to a recent Quinnipiac University poll.

That marks a massive swing from January, when Republicans disapproved of him by a 75% to 16% margin and Democrats approved of him by an 80% to 10% margin.

“He seems to be underwater with Democrats and above water with Republicans, which suggests he is vulnerable to a primary,” said former Republican Pennsylvania Rep. Charlie Dent. “But he is not up [for reelection] until 2028.”

Mr. Dent said the senator’s lackluster fundraising has raised eyebrows.

Mr. Fetterman has raised only $1.2 million since the beginning of the year, leaving him with $2 million in cash on hand at the end of September.

While Mr. Fetterman has shown he can raise money in a hurry — he raised $76 million for his 2022 campaign — his current totals trail those of other Senate Democrats facing 2028 reelection in other battleground states.

Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona, who some believe may be eyeing a presidential run, has raised $20 million and holds nearly $9 million in the bank. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia has brought in $5.8 million and has $4 million on hand. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto of Nevada, who joined Mr. Fetterman in voting with Republicans to end the shutdown, has raised more than $4 million and has $3.3 million on hand.

All of this has sparked speculation that Mr. Fetterman might not run again.

But he doesn’t seem fazed. He’s continued to back Israel’s military campaign, questioned Palestinian death tolls and even floated the idea of Mr. Trump winning a Nobel Peace Prize if the Israel-Hamas ceasefire holds.