John Fetterman’s New Memoir Escalates Long-Running Feud With Governor

Senator John Fetterman accused Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro of being too focused on “political ambition” in a new memoir released Tuesday, adding fuel to the pair’s ongoing feud.

The Pennsylvania Democrats, both thought to have 2028 presidential aspirations, butted heads while Fetterman was the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania under Shapiro from 2019-2023. Their feud stems from their disagreements while they served on Pennsylvania’s Board of Pardons. Fetterman was more lenient in supporting clemency for state inmates compared to Shapiro, who took a more cautious approach—too cautious for Fetterman’s liking.

Unfettered cover Penguin Random House — Fetterman’s new Shapiro swipes come in his memoir “Unfettered,” released Tuesday. Penguin Random House

“I truly believed with all my heart that nobody I ever supported for a pardon was a danger to society, and I was willing to stake my political career on it,” writes Fetterman, 56, in Unfettered. “Shapiro was far more cautious, and at a certain point, I began to think that what was influencing him was not mere caution but political ambition.”

The inflection point of their feud was the case of Dennis and Lee Horton, two brothers who had served 28 years for a robbery and a fatal shooting they claimed they didn’t commit. Fetterman backed their clemency application in 2019, while Shapiro, 52, was initially hesitant.

“I don’t think Shapiro felt the Hortons were a danger to the public at that point,” writers Fetterman. “His hesitancy was more a matter of optics and fear that their release might be a terrible mistake and come back to haunt him.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro speaks during a press conference outside of the Governor's Mansion after a portion of the property was damaged in an arson fire on April 13, 2025 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. — Shapiro and Fetterman are both thought to have 2028 presidential ambitions. Matthew Hatcher/Getty Images

Shapiro eventually granted clemency to the Hortons in 2021, and Fetterman hired them for his Senate campaign in 2022.

Since then, the pair’s icy relationship has been an open secret in Pennsylvania politics. In one notable instance, Shapiro and Fetterman both appeared at a disaster response press conference on July 16, 2023 following deadly floods in Bucks Country. Shapiro gave a statement on how his government was preparing to aid local disaster relief efforts. He then ended the press conference without handing the microphone to Fetterman, who had prepared a statement he didn’t get to read.

There are conflicting beliefs on whether Shapiro has the same ire for Fetterman as the senator seems to have for the governor. In a 2024 NBC News report about their feud, some Democratic officials said Fetterman was “obsessed” with Shapiro as a political rival, while Shapiro didn’t give Fetterman much thought. Others said the feud went both ways as an “an old-school political rivalry.”

“It’s not anything even deeper than that,” said a source close to the pair. “It’s just an old-school, interstate political rivalry between two up-and-coming guys who both want to be president.”

Josh Shapiro’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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