By now, Pennsylvania Democrats are used to Senator John Fetterman making nice with Republicans. But his 65-second video appearance on Wednesday night at President Trump’s midterm convention ignited a new round of anger and condemnation from Democrats toward a senator they widely view as a political apostate.
Former Representative Conor Lamb, whom Mr. Fetterman beat in the party’s 2022 primary race for Senate, said the video had “all the persuasiveness of a North Korean newscast.”
Mr. Lamb is one of several Pennsylvania Democrats who say they are weighing running for Senate in 2028, when Mr. Fetterman will be up for re-election. Mr. Lamb said party officials in the state had “already assumed Fetterman is a non-factor” in a future race.
Mr. Fetterman has become increasingly estranged from his fellow Democrats since Mr. Trump returned to office last year. While he has remained a reliable vote for Democratic causes in the Senate, Mr. Fetterman has served as a leading cheerleader for Mr. Trump’s war with Iran and for Israel during the conflict in Gaza.
In Washington, Mr. Fetterman long ago stopped participating in routine meetings with Senate Democrats, whom he infuriated by establishing a joint fund-raising committee with Senator David McCormick, the Pennsylvania Republican he introduced in his video on Wednesday.
Polling released last month from The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer and Siena University found that Mr. Fetterman’s popularity with the state’s Democrats had cratered and that he was now far more popular with Republicans.
Mr. Fetterman has said he will “never” switch parties. He did not immediately respond to messages on Wednesday.
Representative Chris Deluzio, a Democrat who, like Mr. Fetterman and Mr. Lamb, hails from western Pennsylvania, said the senator was “making it harder” for state Democrats to win races in November by giving the impression that there is bipartisan support for Mr. Trump.
“If the Republicans want him, they can have him,” said Mr. Deluzio, who said he was also considering a Senate run in 2028. “This guy is not going to be a senator after 2028.”
And Lt. Gov. Austin Davis, who said he had been encouraged to think about running for Senate, accused Mr. Fetterman of misunderstanding the political moment.
“There is a time and place for bipartisanship, but this isn’t it,” he said. “If you willingly participate in this, you’re part of the problem.”
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