Democrat Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is watching as his support among his own party’s voters is crumbling.
In the past year, the senator has moved more toward the center, and some would even say towards Republicans, which has hurt his approval ratings among Pittsburgh, Pa., Democrats, Politico reported.
“Forty-nine percent said they have an unfavorable impression of him, while 46 percent said they have a favorable impression, according to the survey. By way of comparison, the poll showed 82 percent view Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro favorably, versus 13 percent unfavorably,” the report said.
The poll, which was done by a Democratic polling firm that was conducting a survey for a coming mayoral primary, is an outlier that is counter to other recent polls.
But as Democrats consider a primary challenge to Fetterman, it is one that, some experts believe, he should be paying attention to.
“In Pittsburgh, this is a break-glass, freak-out moment for Fetterman,” one Democrat strategist, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said.
Fetterman has come under fire from some Democrats for his unwavering support of Israel and for his meeting with President Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago before inauguration day.
Other recent polls conducted in the Pittsburgh area show that his base is sticking with him.
A recent report has raised concerns about alleged tensions between him and his wife, Gisele, regarding his health regimen, his views on Israel, and her supposed conflicts with his staff.
In the article titled “All By Himself: John Fetterman insists he is in good health, but staffers past and present say they no longer recognize the man they once knew,” New York Magazine’s Intelligencer presents accounts from current and former staff members who worked with the Pennsylvania Democrat. In May 2022, Fetterman suffered a serious stroke during his Senate campaign against Dr. Mehmet Oz.
The article recounts several reported incidents, including one from February 2023 during a Democratic caucus retreat at the Library of Congress.
A staffer reported receiving a message inquiring about Fetterman’s condition after witnessing him sitting alone at a table, silently sipping a soda. The report further stated that a car “nearly struck” the lawmaker and found him “wandering” on Capitol Hill.
Doctors at George Washington University Hospital later confirmed that Fetterman was suffering from severe dehydration, not a second stroke as initially feared.
Shortly after, during a conversation with then-Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Fetterman appeared nearly “catatonic,” prompting concern. On February 15, he was admitted to Walter Reed Medical Center.
Following his discharge, Fetterman fully re-engaged with his Senate duties and became increasingly outspoken, particularly on contentious issues like the Israel-Gaza conflict, often putting him at odds with fellow Democrats.
He played a key role in demanding the resignation of former Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., amid corruption accusations.
“Former and current staffers paint a picture of an erratic senator who has become almost impossible to work for and whose mental health situation is more serious and complicated than previously reported,” the article said.
After staffers wrote a letter about Fetterman’s “gutting betrayal” for supporting Israel after the Jewish state was attacked by Hamas in October 2023, which left 1,300 dead, the report went on to claim that Gisele confronted him about Jerusalem “bombing refugee camps — how can you support this?”
Gisele reportedly approached staffers with her concerns. Meanwhile, a Senate physician reported in December 2023 that he was “acting bizarrely” near the Senate subway and noted that he had not had bloodwork in months.
The physically imposing senator also reportedly came close to knocking over people while walking through the Capitol. According to the magazine article, these types of incidents frustrated his wife, who was outspoken about her concerns.
The report went viral on social media, with Bloomberg columnist Matthew Yglesias calling it “a very sad story here on a human level, but of course, it’s also politics and can’t be addressed purely on that level.”