Sen. Dave McCormick (R-Pa.) praised Pennsylvania colleague Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) for challenging his own party, saying Fetterman has become “very popular” by resisting what McCormick called Democratic “craziness.”
Fetterman Wins Praise
“I really respect John,” McCormick said Sunday on WABC’s “The Cats Roundtable.” “He votes as a Democrat 93 or 95% of the time, so it’s not like he’s not a Democrat in most of his policy positions. But he’s willing to stand up and call out the craziness that’s happening in his party. It’s made him unpopular with some of the people in his party.”
A July Quinnipiac University poll showed Fetterman receiving unusually strong support from Republican voters. The survey found 48% of Pennsylvania voters approved of Fetterman’s job performance and 41% disapproved. Republicans backed him 77%-12%, while Democrats disapproved 69%-19%.
Fetterman has repeatedly broken with most Democrats on foreign policy. He opposed efforts to halt President Donald Trump’s Iran campaign and joined a smaller group of Democrats opposing measures to block weapons sales to Israel. Those positions have drawn progressive criticism while reinforcing his independent image.
Progressive Victories Sharpen Democratic Party Divide
McCormick said Democrats have taken “this huge swing to the radical left,” pointing to Abdul El-Sayed’s narrow victory over establishment-backed Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan’s Senate primary.
El-Sayed, backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), overcame tens of millions of dollars in outside spending and now faces Republican Mike Rogers in a race Democrats view as critical to Senate control. Republicans, including Vice President JD Vance, have quickly portrayed El-Sayed as too progressive for Michigan.
McCormick contrasted that trend with Fetterman. “That’s not the case in Pennsylvania, particularly with John Fetterman,” he said, adding that he feels “lucky to have a good partner in Pennsylvania.”
Israel Stance Further Sets Fetterman Apart
Fetterman has also drawn a firm line on Israel. Last month he said he had “no plans” to leave the Democratic Party but would reconsider if it formally became “the anti-Israel party.”
“If our party ever becomes — and just makes it official — the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave because that’s been a moral clarity for me,” Fetterman said.
