Tipsheet

Should John Fetterman Consider Switching Parties? It Makes Sense, But There's a Catch

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  February 27, 2026 6:30 AM

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has been the most surprising Democrat to me in a positive way. While he has moments that might make you roll your eyes, he’s generally one of the most rational Democrats in Congress. I realize that’s a low standard, but Fetterman has managed to challenge his party’s base by opposing some Trump nominees, resisting pro-Hamas rhetoric, and realistically assessing his party’s political landscape after 2024. 

Democrats are not built for the long haul here, with their exclusionary, illiberal, and hyper-niche agenda that only makes white wine-guzzling liberal women feel better about their miserable lives.  

Based on current polling, Fetterman’s support among Democrats in the Keystone State has collapsed. He gets high marks because Republicans are inflating his numbers, but he’s in trouble. Ever since he backed Israel during their ongoing war with Hamas in Gaza, he has been marked for political death, and now the time is ripe. I don’t know who will challenge him, but it’s going to happen: 

Should he consider changing parties? It may not make a difference, as Republicans are likely to support a genuine conservative rather than a turncoat, to use a blunt term. The late Arlen Specter attempted to switch parties in 2010, switching from Republican to Democrat, to preserve his career; he even acknowledged it. However, it was unsuccessful.