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- Derek Weston via TIME.com
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- Politics·5 min to read
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Fetterman Turns to Republican Donors as Democratic Support Erodes
ReFetterman Turns to Republican Donors as Democratic Support Erodes
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is courting Republican donors through GOP-linked fundraising appeals as his support among Democrats declines and his campaign cash dries up.
Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania has begun soliciting campaign contributions through fundraising appeals tied to Republican candidates and committees, a striking turn for a Democrat who once built his political brand on progressive populism. The messages, sent through email addresses associated with GOP operations, include one from an address linked to Republican fundraising lists that declares, «I'm always going to reject Socialism and the Anti-American way of life.»
The appeals urge recipients to help Fetterman «stand with America» and «reject the extremes.» The same address has been used to promote President Trump's voting restrictions and to solicit donations for Republican candidates ahead of the midterms. The fundraising messages also appeared under other Republican-linked domains, including Unshakeable Conservatives and Freedom Faction. It remains unclear who owns the donor lists or what arrangement Fetterman's campaign has with the groups behind them. Campaigns commonly rent or otherwise obtain access to donor lists to reach new contributors. Fetterman's office did not respond to a request for comment.
One email sent this month from the Republican-linked address listed Sen. Mike Lee of Utah as the sender. It focused on Fetterman and opened with the line, «I just got an email from John. He's basically a Republican now.» The fundraising shift comes as Fetterman's support among Democrats has eroded and his fundraising has sharply declined. He raised roughly $76 million in the two years before taking office in 2023, an extraordinary sum for a first-time Senate candidate powered by small-dollar donations and progressive enthusiasm. Since then, he has raised about $7.4 million during his first two years in the Senate and less than $2 million since the beginning of 2025, according to federal campaign finance records. His political action committee has raised only a few hundred thousand dollars since 2023.
Fetterman has not said whether he will seek a second term in 2028. Over the weekend, during an on-stage interview at the Texas Tribune Festival in Austin, he said he was raising money with a reelection bid «as the possibility» and suggested he would wait until after the November midterms to decide. Several Pennsylvania Democrats are already considering a challenge to him in 2028, even as Republicans continue to encourage him to leave the party.
Rep. Brendan Boyle, a Pennsylvania Democrat who has been critical of Fetterman, said the latest fundraising effort fits a pattern that was already apparent. «More than a year ago, I called John Fetterman 'Trump's favorite Democrat,'» Boyle said, «so it should come as no surprise that he's now using that label to raise money from Republicans.» Rep. Chris Deluzio, another Pennsylvania Democrat, said Fetterman has become a «distraction» from the party's effort to win the midterms and combat the Trump Administration. «That's my focus. Anyone who stands in the way of that work will have to answer to the voters soon enough,» Deluzio said.
Fetterman has hardly hidden his political evolution. His redesigned campaign website boasts that he «thinks for himself» and tells visitors, «You should too.» He has become a regular presence on Fox News and other conservative programs. In July, he attended a retreat hosted by Rupert Murdoch, appearing on a panel with Republican Sen. Katie Britt of Alabama. He has formed a joint fundraising operation with Sen. Dave McCormick, the Republican who represents Pennsylvania alongside him, allowing their campaigns and political committees to raise money together. Earlier this month, he appeared by video at the Republican Party's midterm convention in Dallas, introducing McCormick in a recorded message, attacking the «extremes of socialism,» and calling on Bernie Sanders to «sit a few out» after the Vermont senator backed left-wing candidates in Democratic primaries.
Fetterman has repeatedly rejected the suggestion that his political evolution will eventually lead him to join the GOP. At the Texas Tribune Festival, he argued that Democrats should be a «big-tent» party with room for someone who supports both Israel's actions in Gaza and holding Iran accountable. «I don't have a reason to» join the Republican Party, Fetterman said, noting that he still votes with Democrats on most partisan matters. He has also said he has «no path as a Republican.» Still, Fetterman voted in support of Trump and the Republican Party on 26% of Senate votes during 2025, the highest rate of any Senate Democrat.
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