Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-PA) criticism of his party has won him more GOP admirers in Pennsylvania than his Republican colleague in the state, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA).
Fetterman is viewed favorably by almost three-quarters of likely GOP voters, according to a Siena poll commissioned by the New York Times and Philadelphia Inquirer, compared to 63% for McCormick.
Fetterman is also better known in Pennsylvania than McCormick, who entered the Senate in 2025.
Fetterman’s support among Republicans has been accompanied by a precipitous drop in his home state among Democrats. Just 22% of self-identifying Democrats view him favorably, compared to 74% when his support was captured in May 2024.
His GOP support has, by contrast, climbed steeply, according to the poll: 73% of self-identifying Republicans view Fetterman favorably, up from 25% in 2024.
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The poll of likely voters, released on Tuesday, underscores the difficult time Fetterman would have in a Democratic primary should he run for a second term in 2028. He’s largely voted with his party since arriving in the Senate in 2023, but his growing criticism of the Left and vocal defense of Israel have alienated him with the Democratic voting base.
Fetterman denies that he’s contemplating leaving his party, but has repeatedly stoked speculation that he might become a Republican or independent. Last month, he called support for Israel, an increasingly unpopular view among Democrats, a “red line” and said he’d switch if the party continues drifting to the left.
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Most recently, Fetterman took the rare step of setting up a joint fundraising committee with McCormick.
In aggregate, Fetterman’s favorability stands at 46%, a number that is virtually unchanged from two years ago. Among independents, his support has grown slightly, from 45% to 49%, and is today 13 points ahead of his unfavorable rating of 36%.