Fetterman Says Democrats Could Win the Senate but Won't Commit to His Own Party's Future

Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania said Saturday it is "entirely possible" Democrats win back the Senate in November, but he again refused to rule out a break with his party once the votes are counted. "Let's revisit after the midterm," he told CBS News' Major Garrett at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin.

Asked directly whether he would leave the Democratic Party, Fetterman said he doesn't "have a reason to" and stressed, "I am not a Republican." Yet he kept the door open. "Let's see what happens if I happen to be 51 — I don't know," he said, a reference to the vote that could decide control of a closely divided chamber. "So wait until after the midterm and see what happens."

He also argued he has nowhere to go on the right. "There are no Republicans with a 90% Democratic vote line. There are no pro-choice, there's no pro-gay community, that does not exist in the Republican Party," he said. "I have no path as a Republican." If Democrats do win the majority, he added, people should remember that it was possible "because I was able to win a state like Pennsylvania."

Democrats began the cycle facing a tough map, with 53 Republicans in the Senate and few obvious pickups. Persistent affordability worries and the unpopular war with Iran have since improved their outlook. Fetterman called a Marist poll showing Democratic Senate candidate Josh Turek up eight points in Iowa "shocking," and he credited Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's recruiting. "If people are angry at Chuck Schumer, it's undeniable, he has recruited an incredibly strong class," he said. Asked whether Schumer would stay on as leader in a Democratic majority and whether he would back him, Fetterman said, "Yes, I mean, there's no one making a move."

Fetterman, who won a closely watched race in 2022, has drawn heavy criticism from fellow Democrats for breaking ranks. Earlier this month he appeared by video at the Republican midterm convention to introduce his Pennsylvania counterpart, GOP Sen. Dave McCormick, and pledged to work with President Trump on steel. On Saturday he cited his support for Israel as a dividing line, saying "more and more members of my caucus are becoming more and more anti-Israel," and pointed to the energy around the controversial streamer Hasan Piker, who was appearing at a nearby event. He also criticized Democrats for backing government shutdowns. "Democrats, we used to say, 'No, never, never do that,'" he said, adding that he has "chosen to be country over the party."

Fetterman said he is actively raising money for a possible 2028 reelection bid but will decide after the midterms. Pennsylvania is one of only two states, with Wisconsin, represented by one Democrat and one Republican in the Senate.