A majority of Pennsylvania voters want Sen. John Fetterman to leave the Democratic Party, according to a new poll that is fueling fresh speculation about the centrist lawmaker’s political future.
The Quinnipiac University poll found that 52% of registered voters would like Fetterman to leave the party, while just 31% want him to remain a Democrat. Another 16% offered no opinion.
The sentiment crossed party lines. Fifty-seven percent of Democrats, 55% of Republicans, and 46% of independents said they wanted Fetterman to leave.
“The Democrats would like to show him the door. The Republicans seem to be welcoming him in. Thus is the political irony of Senator John Fetterman,” Quinnipiac polling analyst Tim Malloy said.
Fetterman’s overall approval rating remained above water, with 48% approving of his performance and 41% disapproving. But the partisan breakdown revealed a striking political reversal.
Republicans approved of Fetterman by a 77-12 margin, while Democrats disapproved of him by 69-19.
The numbers are likely to intensify speculation that the Pennsylvania senator could eventually switch parties or become an independent. Fetterman, however, insists he has no immediate plans to leave the Democrat fold. (RELATED: Fetterman’s Bipartisan Fundraising Committee Fuels Party Switch Speculation)
During Wednesday’s Hill Nation Summit in Washington, Fetterman identified one issue that could push him over the line.
“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, according to The Hill.
Fetterman said he is “never changing” parties except under that “one condition,” Axios reported.
His warning came as more than 100 House Democrats voted for an unsuccessful amendment that would have eliminated $3.3 billion in annual security assistance to Israel. The measure, introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), failed 104-314 but exposed a widening Democrat divide over support for the longtime U.S. ally.
Fetterman has repeatedly broken with members of his party over Israel, border security and several Trump administration nominees. Those positions have earned him growing support from Republicans — and increasing hostility from Democrats.
Republicans have reportedly attempted to recruit Fetterman, but he rejected the idea of joining the GOP in a May Washington Post op-ed.
“I’d be a terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats,” he wrote.
Fetterman also dismissed his growing popularity among Republican voters as “confusing” during a March interview with NewsNation.
Still, the senator’s latest remarks leave the door open — however narrowly — to a future departure if Democrats cross his stated red line on Israel.
The Quinnipiac poll surveyed 895 registered Pennsylvania voters from July 9 through July 13 and carries a margin of error of 4.3 percentage points.
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