John Fetterman signals he would consider quitting Democratic Party if they make ‘troubling’ majority leader pick

Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman signaled that he would consider quitting the Democratic Party if the caucus elected Maryland Sen. Chris Van Hollen as majority leader, citing disagreements over U.S. policy toward Israel.

Fetterman was asked Saturday on Fox News whether there was a “red line” that would prompt him to walk away from his party if it moved further to the left.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Fetterman said in a clip highlighted on X by journalist Aaron Rupar. “It would be troubling if my caucus elects someone like Van Hollen that has really made his name being very anti-hostile to Israel, you know. If you are going to be angry or hostile towards any countries in the region, why not make that, you know, Iran or Hezbollah or Hamas as well too?”

He added: “Why, both in the House, now in the Senate, now their first instincts are to punish Israel and to withhold these kinds of aid. Why? Why isn’t your first instinct to say, ‘Let’s hold Iran accountable?’”

Fetterman also warned his party not to turn the next two years “into a circus of constant hearings” about getting “payback” on the Trump administration.

His break with fellow Democrats has cost him support in Pennsylvania.

As reported by The Independent, Fetterman has grown increasingly isolated within his caucus over his staunch support for Israel’s military actions in Gaza, his opposition to measures aimed at ending the war in Iran and his votes with Republicans to end last year’s government shutdown and confirm several of President Donald Trump’s nominees.

While Fetterman has previously maintained that he will not become a Republican — pointing to his support for labor unions and LGBTQ+ rights — his breaks with the party have alienated local Democrats.

An August New York Times poll showed that only about two in 10 registered Pennsylvania Democrats viewed him favorably, down from 74 percent in 2024. Conversely, his favorability among Pennsylvania Republicans rose from 25 percent to 73 percent over the same period, according to the survey.

Because of this shift, Democratic candidates across Pennsylvania distanced themselves from the senator during the midterm cycle, opting not to have him campaign with them.

Lori McFarland, the Democratic Party chair in Lehigh County, said in September that Fetterman “would bring us more harm than good,” adding that local voters “feel betrayed by him.”

U.S. Representative Chris Deluzio similarly told reporters that Democrats running in competitive districts did not want Fetterman on the trail with them, noting that Pennsylvanians “expect him to be a Democrat in these two years he has left in this term.”

Potential Democratic challengers — including Deluzio, U.S. Representative Brendan Boyle and former Representative Conor Lamb — have already begun eyeing Fetterman’s Senate seat ahead of the 2028 election.

Republicans, by contrast, have openly floated the possibility of Fetterman crossing the aisle.

Fetterman has cultivated a close working relationship with Pennsylvania’s Republican senator, David McCormick, forming a joint fundraising committee and appearing with him at public events.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune previously stated that Senate Republicans have discussed Fetterman’s frustrations and would “certainly welcome him” if he chose to switch parties.