Sen. John Fetterman has been a Democrat all his adult life, and he continues to mostly vote along party lines.
There are, however, a few issues on which he has voted with Republicans.
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Along those lines, Fetterman has also recently revealed one “red line” that, if the Democrats ever crossed it, would force him to renounce and leave his party: open hostility toward Israel.
The Pennsylvania senator addressed that red line again this week in a hallway interview with CNN.
“I‘ve always expressed my dismay at the way the Democratic Party continues to turn its back on Israel,” he said.
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“So I‘ve said that publicly, like that‘s my red line. If the Democratic Party becomes officially anti-Israel, then that‘s when I would force myself out,” he said.
A CNN panel discussed Fetterman’s comments on Friday.
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“I‘ll help him pack his bags. Good riddance. This is a this is this is the biggest non-threat I think I‘ve ever seen,” Luke Thomas, host of the “Morning Kombat” podcast, said.
“I realize that, I mean, to your point, you said this has been telegraphed,” he continued.
“You have seen evidence of him in his voting record, not merely on Israel, on other issues too, for example, on the government shutdown and not getting the ACA (Affordable Care Act) subsidies,” he continued.
He went on to criticize Fetterman over other positions he has taken politically before revealing the results of a Quinnipiac University poll released this week saying that in his home state, he has a 77 percent approval rating among Republicans versus a 19 percent approval rating among Democrat voters.
“That is what a Latin American president at the end of his term is getting,” Thomas added.
Earlier this week, Fetterman turned heads when he launched a joint fundraising effort with a Republican senator.
Pennsylvania’s two U.S. senators, despite representing opposing parties, have teamed up to create a joint fundraising committee ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and the 2028 campaign cycle.
The committee, called Common Ground PA, has been registered with the Federal Election Commission.
FEC records showed that Common Ground PA listed four joint fundraising PACs: Every Vote PAC, Pennsylvania Honor, Fetterman for PA, and Friends of Dave McCormick.
“Fetterman is listed as the leadership PAC sponsor for Every Vote PAC, while McCormick is named as the leadership PAC sponsor for Pennsylvania Honor,” local media reported, citing information contained in the filing.
“This is a donor-driven effort,” Mike DeVanney, a McCormick campaign spokesman, told The Center Square.
“This group of donors value the collaboration exhibited by Senators McCormick and Fetterman for Pennsylvania and want to support both of them,” Devanney added.
Fetterman’s repeated disagreements with the Democratic Party’s progressive wing—particularly over U.S. support for Israel and the growing influence of Democratic Socialists—have fueled speculation that he could eventually switch parties as Republicans and Democrats continue to battle for control of the Senate.
🚨 IT’S OFFICIAL: Pennsylvania Senators John Fetterman (D) and Dave McCormick (R) just stunned America, teaming up with JOINT FUNDRAISING as the leftists push Fetterman out
Speculation is swirling Fetterman will SWITCH PARTIES ahead of a costly 2028 Democrat Senate primary — or… pic.twitter.com/xRB88bzLxO
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) July 10, 2026
The fundraising collaboration is drawing criticism already from the hard left.
“So so bad,” Fox News analyst and lefty Jessica Tarlov remarked on X.
Rick Wilson, the one-time pretend Republican who sprinted to Democrats following President Trump’s first election victory, speculated that Fetterman is “gonna flip.”
Fetterman has repeatedly distanced himself from the Democrat Party’s rising socialist wing, arguing that members of what he described as the “dirtbag left” no longer belong under the Democratic banner.
Speaking during an interview at the Kennedy Center’s Mark Twain Prize event, Fetterman said the recent success of candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America reflects the rise of a political movement that he believes is fundamentally different from the mainstream Democratic Party.
“It was a really it was a really big night for the dirtbag left. You know, last week, without a doubt,” he said.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
