Why Pa. Democrats aren't punishing Fetterman
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Sen. John Fetterman's appearance at the GOP midterm convention further inflamed tensions with Pennsylvania Democrats — but party leaders have shown little appetite for formally rebuking him.
The big picture: Fetterman's video message defending working with President Trump and praising Republican Sen. Dave McCormick for boosting America's steel industry is the latest in a string of actions by Fetterman applauding Trump and Republicans.
- Pennsylvania parties have punished lawmakers for high-profile breaks before. So why aren't Democrats doing the same with Fetterman?
Fetterman said in a statement last week he wouldn't leave the Democratic Party.
- "I'm a lifelong Democrat who votes overwhelmingly with my party — and should the Senate flip in November, I will still be the 51st vote that I ran on."
State of play: There's little appetite among Pennsylvania Democrats to officially condemn Fetterman's behavior, said J.J. Abbott, a former staffer with former Gov. Tom Wolf who is now a Democratic strategist working on several campaigns in Pennsylvania.
- "I just think that a lot of folks working on stuff in 2026, they have more productive things to do," he said, noting Dems' focus on trying to flip the state senate and four U.S. House seats.
- "You would just be stirring up more attention on him, which seems kind of obvious is what he wants."
What they're saying: Former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, who ran against Fetterman in the 2022 Dem primary, told Politico last week, "I don't think anything I say — or anyone who is a Democrat says — affects him all that much."
Context: U.S. senators cannot be recalled by voters.
- According to Senate rules, senators can be expelled by a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate — highly unlikely because of Fetterman's popularity among Republicans.
- The last senators to be expelled were in the early 1860s, for supporting the Confederacy during the Civil War.
Flashback: Fetterman's predecessor drew condemnation from his own party when he went against popular Republican sentiment.
- Republican Pat Toomey was censured by several county GOP groups in 2021 following his vote to convict President Trump during his second impeachment trial. Trump remained extremely popular with Republicans despite the Jan. 6 riot.
Fetterman's office did not respond to Axios' questions for this story.
The other side: Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vermont) defended Fetterman after the video, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said in July he wanted Fetterman to stay in the party.
Between the lines: Duquesne political science professor Lew Irwin said Fetterman might not be thinking about reelection or any government position.
- Fetterman's actions don't point to him trying to keep his Senate seat, said Irwin, and he thinks Fetterman could be angling for a job outside government, possibly a pundit for a media company.
- Irwin sees similarities between Fetterman and former Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin, who "grew less interested in their job or they had some professional and personal goals outside of elected office."
Zoom in: Fetterman has spent more campaign money than he has raised during his last two years in office, according to FEC filings.
What's next: Fetterman's term expires in 2028, and several Democrats, including Lamb and Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-Aspinwall), have expressed interest in challenging Fetterman.