BRADDOCK, Pennsylvania — Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), who once served as mayor of the Mon Valley city home to Andrew Carnegie’s first steel plant, has been clear from the start of the government shutdown that he opposes it entirely.
He hasn’t just talked about opposing the shutdown — he has acted. Over the shutdown’s 40 days, he has cast 15 votes in favor of reopening the government.
When it was announced Sunday that six other Democrats and an independent finally joined Fetterman and Senate Republicans in advancing a funding measure to bring a final vote on reopening the government, Fetterman took to X.
“I am sorry to our military, SNAP recipients and Capitol Police who haven’t been paid in weeks. It should have never come to this. This was a failure,” he posted.
Why did Fetterman think it was a failure? Well, the deal the Democrats agreed to is the exact same one that was on the table 40 days ago, which the majority of them voted against 15 times.
“Nay” votes cast by Democrats have left millions of Americans in limbo, from government employees and those dependent on federal services to men and women in uniform. The shutdown has also rippled through the economy, disrupting commerce and air travel nationwide.
And what will Democrats get? Literally nothing, as the compromise will not extend, as Democrats demanded, the Affordable Care Act subsidies set to expire at the end of the year.
The politics behind the vote are fascinating: none of the senators who supported the measure face reelection until 2028, and two are retiring. Their decision comes less than a week after Democrats earned victories for governor in two blue states, Virginia and New Jersey, as well as wins in a California redistricting referendum and the New York City mayoral race.
Although exit polling showed voters blame both parties equally for the government shutdown, the Democrats’ base on social media believes “not backing down” to Republicans is why they won. However, they are livid that their post-election glow has ended.
On Monday, The View‘s Sunny Hostin observed that Democrats entered Sunday riding high from their “blue wave” victories the previous Tuesday but emerged from the weekend as the losers.
“The working people want the Democratic Party to fight for them. And now, they just caved and surrendered,” Hostin said.
Several Democrats eyeing 2026 Senate runs criticized their party’s handling of the shutdown — from a Texas Democrat who called it “a joke” to former Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who lost his seat last year, to former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who is running for an open Senate seat — and denounced the deal.
So did the centrist think tank the Third Way, whose president, Jonathan Cowan, said in a statement that Democrats should have fought “until the last dog died.”
Five days ago, with the Capitol in the background, Fetterman posted a video on X, saying, “This is a record I never wanted to break. Here we are in the 35th day of the shutdown and I just voted for the 14th time to reopen our government.” He ended with a pledge to never waver, saying, “I am going to continue to choose country over party.”
Fetterman stands out as the only senator among Democrats and Independents who consistently chooses to do the difficult but right thing, supporting what benefits all Pennsylvanians rather than what simply advances his party’s agenda.
However, his steadfast commitment to doing the right thing sparked a quiet backlash within his party. An Axios report revealed that some Pennsylvania Democrats were already plotting to challenge him in a 2028 primary. Among the names floated were Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA) and former Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Conor Lamb, both of whom have been outspoken opponents of ending the shutdown.
Boyle, who represents a Philadelphia district, noted on X that he was adamantly against the deal and would be voting nay.
“I am a HELL NO on any so-called agreement with Senate GOP leadership that is nothing more than a ‘pinky swear’ they will allow a future vote on the ACA,” Boyle posted on his account.
Lamb noted on X in a less than two-minute video that he saw nothing in the deal worth voting for and that the deal is “sad.”
Notably, Fetterman has never been a favorite of his party’s establishment. However, voters have consistently stood by him. From his early days as mayor to his first unsuccessful Senate bid to his groundbreaking victory for lieutenant governor after ousting a sitting Democrat to his eventual Senate win despite a stroke and depression, Fetterman has earned his support the hard way — through perseverance and authenticity.
JEFFRIES VOWS DEMOCRATS WILL ‘FIGHT’ SENATE FUNDING DEAL, BACKS SCHUMER LEADERSHIP
In short, efforts within his party to push him out are as routine as another day ending in “y.” Time and again, Fetterman has been underestimated — and, aside from his 2016 Senate loss, he has exceeded expectations every single time.
Fetterman is no Republican. He is, however, someone willing to do the right thing even if it goes against his party. If he runs for reelection in 2028, voters can expect him to defy expectations again.