A new poll reveals a stunning political reversal in Pennsylvania: Democrats are abandoning their senator John Fetterman while Republicans are rallying behind him.
According to the Quinnipiac University survey, 54% of Democrats disapprove of John Fetterman’s job performance, with only a third backing him. Just a year ago, 80% of Pennsylvania Democrats approved of his work in Congress. The shift highlights growing tension inside the Democratic base as Fetterman continues bucking party leadership.
Meanwhile, Republicans are warming to him. The poll found 62% of Pennsylvania Republicans approve of Fetterman’s performance—an extraordinary turnaround from last year, when three-quarters disapproved. Independents remain split, largely unchanged.
Fetterman’s break with his party has become more visible since President Donald Trump’s second term began. This week, he sided with Republicans on a funding measure to temporarily stave off a government shutdown, undercutting Senate Democratic leaders and their White House allies.
The senator has also refused to embrace the divisive rhetoric increasingly common among Democrats. “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,” Fetterman told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo.
As Quinnipiac analyst Tim Malloy put it: “One-time Democratic darling John Fetterman flips the approval script as Republicans embrace him and Democrats give him low marks nearly two years after GOP voters wouldn’t give him the time of day.”
For Democrats, the warning is clear: Fetterman’s independent streak is winning him unlikely allies—and leaving his own base fractured.
