John Fetterman Says He’d Never Campaign Against Republican Senator Because He’s ‘My Friend’

Ben Curtis/Evan Vucci/AP photos

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said he would never campaign against Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) because the fellow Pennsylvanian is his “friend” and a “great guy.”

Fetterman made the remarks to The Washington Examiner on Tuesday, telling the publication, “Well, I would absolutely never move against my friend.”

The Democratic senator has rankled members of his own party in recent months after making dozens of appearances on Fox News this year. Fox hosts routinely invite Fetterman to bash his party, and he happily obliges. During one Fox News appearance in July, the senator began criticizing a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in Texas, but Sean Hannity redirected Fetterman’s attention to the matter of slamming people in his own party.

In the interview with the Examiner, Fetterman, who is up for reelection in 2028, said he would not dream of campaigning against McCormick:

“Well, I would absolutely never move against my friend,” Fetterman said when asked about McCormick possibly running for reelection in 2030. The outlet said Fetterman declined to say whether he would endorse McCormick, but called him a “great guy.”

“I would never, ever move against my friend,” Fetterman reiterated.

The matter could be moot since Fetterman may be a total non-entity in Democratic politics in 2030. Should he run for reelection in 2028, he would face a steep uphill climb. The senator’s approval rating among Democrats has imploded. In March, CNN’s Harry Enten noted that Fetterman once enjoyed a net approval rating of plus 68 points among Democrats in the state, but the number capsized to -40 points, a mind-boggling 108-point swing.

Last month, Fetterman suggested he might leave the Democratic Party if it becomes insufficiently supportive of Israel, stating, “That’s my red line.”

The senator’s remark prompted Jon Stewart to remind Fetterman in an interview this month that Israel “is not our country.”

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