Politics
NEW: Democrat Senator Gets Demoralizing Re-Election News
Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) appears to be facing an uphill re-election battle as he continues to hemorrhage support among voters who were crucial to his victory in 2022, according to a new internal poll.
The poll, which was conducted by a Democrat-linked firm that for the upcoming mayoral primary election in Pittsburgh, surveyed likely Democratic Party voters in the city. 49 percent of likely Democrat primary voters in Pittsburgh currently have an unfavorable view of Fetterman, who lives just outside the city, the poll found.
Just 46 percent of respondents said they hold a positive view of the freshman senator. For comparison, 82 percent of likely Democratic Party voters expressed a positive view of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro versus just 13 percent who said otherwise.
The poll was conducted before the release of a New York Magazine article reported that staff are increasingly concerned about Fetterman’s mental and physical health as he continues to recover from a stroke he suffered in 2022.
Fetterman speaks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 11.05.22
Fetterman and his allies have dismissed the poll as an outlier and suggested the senator is the victim of a “smear campaign” due to his support for Israel.
“I know a hit piece when I see one. The only reason for the coordinated campaign against Senator John Fetterman is his unapologetic pro-Israel politics. Let’s call it what it is,” U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) wrote in an X post. “As someone who has struggled with depression my whole adult life, I can tell you that if you truly care about someone’s mental health, leaking hit pieces against them is a strange way of showing it.”
Fetterman also received an unlikely compliment from the Keystone State’s other senator, Dave McCormick (R-PA), who called on Democrats to “stop these vicious, personal attacks against Senator Fetterman, his wife, and his health.”
“While we have many differences, we are both committed to working together to achieve results for the people of Pennsylvania and make their lives better,” McCormick said.
While the internal poll differs from public surveys, the result has a number of Democrat lawmakers and strategists spooked, according to a report from Politico. “In Pittsburgh, this is a break-glass, freak-out moment for Fetterman,” a Pittsburgh-based Democrat strategist told the outlet on the condition of anonymity.
The poll comes as Democrats have increasingly entertained the prospect of a primary challenge to Fetterman when he stands for re-election in 2028. Fetterman previously beat out former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA), who portrayed himself as a moderate, in the contentious 2022 Democratic Senate primary in Pennsylvania.
A number of Pennsylvania Democrats have sent mixed signals when asked about the possibility of a primary challenge to Fetterman, with many refusing to rule it out.
Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), a progressive whose district includes the town where Fetterman resides, told Politico she “hadn’t spoken” with the senator in recent weeks. Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), whose district includes the Philadelphia suburbs, said the same.
Pennsylvania’s Senate race is projected to be one of the 2028 cycle’s most competitive regardless of whether Fetterman appears on the ballot or not. The state has a long history of Senate upsets, as evidenced by the most recent November election results when Republican Dave McCormick managed to unseat three-term incumbent Bob Casey by a narrow margin.
