Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman on Saturday accidentally declared himself a “lifelong Republican” — a slip by the Democrat whose moderate leanings have fueled months of speculation about a party switch.
Fetterman, 57, quickly laughed off his slip-up when the moderator at the Texas Tribune Festival event where he was speaking, Major Garrett, reminded him he was in fact a Democrat.
The senator, who has repeatedly faced questions about whether he’d abandon the Democratic Party, immediately acknowledged the likely viral nature of his goof.
“I guarantee you, that’s gonna break through,” Fetterman said.
Fetterman has spent months keeping the question of his political-party future alive. In a May Washington Post op-ed, he said he would be a “terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats.”
But the pol also left open the possibility of switching parties if Democrats became the “anti-Israel party.”
While many of Fetterman’s policy views still align closely with the Democratic platform — such abortion and LGBTQ rights, expanding healthcare and raising the minimum wage — he has strongly clashed with the increasingly powerful far-left members of his party over issues such as Israel.
Fetterman also has been making recent appearances with the Republican Party, leaving his constituents confused.
Earlier this month, Fetterman appeared by video at the Republican midterm convention, where he vowed to “work with President Trump.”
After being faced with backlash from his appearance, Fetterman told reporters on Capitol Hill that he is “not going to be a Republican.
“Why can’t you guys just wait till the midterms? And if I turn Republican, then I’ll be a liar. … Chill,” he said.
Fetterman has nevertheless broken with Democrats on several high-profile issues, including votes opposing Iran war-powers resolutions and efforts to cut of US aid to Israel.
At the Texas festival in Austin, he again rejected the idea that there was no Republican future waiting for him, saying that he “has no path as a Republican” and that “that’s a fact.”
Yet Fetterman acknowledged that the political landscape could put him in a consequential position after the midterms, discussing the possibility of Democrats regaining control of the Senate — and him potentially serving as the 51st vote.
“Let’s revisit this after the midterms, and let’s see what happens, you know, if I happen to be 51. I don’t know,” Fetterman said.
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