Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) rejected speculation he might join Republicans, saying he’ll stay in the Democratic Party but chart his own course.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said he will not switch his party affiliation and become a Republican, though he said he may not side with fellow Democrats on every issue and sees himself as an independent voice in politics.
Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo asked Fetterman on a Sept. 28 episode of “Sunday Morning Futures” whether, in light of “real extremists who have tried to hijack the Democrat Party,” he would consider switching parties.
“No, I’m not going to switch,” Fetterman replied. “But I’m just going to be an independent voice in the Democratic Party.”
“If you want a Democrat that’s going to call people Nazis or fascists or all these kinds of things … I’m not going to be that guy,” he said, adding that his focus is on aligning with “the truth, regardless if it’s the Republican or the Democratic voice.”
With a reputation for bucking party lines, Fetterman has become a tempting target for Republicans hoping to flip him and grow their Senate majority to 54 seats.
In 2022, Fetterman defeated Republican Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania’s U.S. Senate race, flipping a seat that for Democrats was key to the party holding its majority in the upper chamber—before losing it in 2024.
Fetterman ran on a progressive platform in 2022, including a call to legalize marijuana and strengthen union rights. But as a senator, he has made a rightward shift on some issues, including chastizing fellow Democrats for their anti-Trump resistance.
While a number of Democrats criticized President Donald Trump’s strikes on Iran in June, Fetterman bucked his party and said the president made the right decision. In July, Fetterman made headlines when he expressed support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), calling demands to dismantle the agency “inappropriate and outrageous.”
“ICE performs an important job for our country. Any calls to abolish ICE are inappropriate and outrageous,” Fetterman wrote on social media at the time, drawing praise from Republicans.
ICE performs an important job for our country.
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) July 10, 2025
Any calls to abolish ICE are 💯 inappropriate and outrageous.
By Tom Ozimek
