A progressive political group is intensifying efforts to challenge U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) in the 2028 Democratic primary, despite the senator not being up for re-election until 2028. The Pennsylvania Working Families Party, a progressive grassroots organization, announced plans to recruit and train candidates, volunteers and donors to support a primary challenger to Fetterman, who was elected in 2022.
The group also launched an online portal, PrimaryFetterman.com, that will serve as a hub for its effort to unseat the senator. aimed at building an organizing pipeline for potential contenders and campaign staff, according to its public statements, NBC News reports.
In announcing the initiative, the party said Fetterman “sold us out” and argued Pennsylvanians “deserve real working class leadership in the U.S. Senate.” The statement cited Fetterman’s votes with Republicans on recent budget bills and other policy disagreements as motivating factors for its challenge.
“While Sen. John Fetterman is supporting Trump’s use of American tax dollars to ‘run’ Venezuela or buy Greenland, 500,000 Pennsylvanians are about to see their health care premiums rise because of the Republican budget bill he supported,” said Nick Gavio, mid-Atlantic communications director for the Working Families Party and a former Fetterman staffer.
“People across Pennsylvania did not put time, money and energy into supporting his campaign just to elect a Democrat who votes against our interests time and time again. We need new leadership,” he added.
It should be noted that the health care premiums he referenced are part of “Obamacare,” which passed early in Barack Obama’s first term without any Republican support. Also, Democrats then claimed the measure would “fix healthcare,” though several analysts and experts have said in the years since, the taxpayer-subsidized premiums contained in the law are largely responsible for driving up insurance costs.
Meanwhile, the Working Families Party did not immediately identify a candidate but plans to hold recruitment and training events across Pennsylvania ahead of the 2028 primary.
Fetterman’s office had not publicly responded to the group’s announcement as of this report. The senator, who has courted both left-wing and moderate voters, has faced criticism from some on the left for his stance on certain votes and policy positions.
John Fetterman has reached out to conservative factions and diverged from many within his party regarding the recent government shutdown and significant foreign policy issues. As a result, he has lost several longtime staff members and supporters, despite continuing to primarily vote with his party. Many Pennsylvania Democrats from various ideological backgrounds are reportedly considering challenging Fetterman in the 2028 elections, NBC noted.
Names discussed by political observers include several members of Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation and former officeholders.
In November, Fetterman mocked the Working Families Party after the group announced it will support a primary challenge against him.
Fetterman responded on Fox News’ “The Story” and said a challenger from the left would only make him appear more appealing to voters, The Daily Caller reported.
“Ooh, ooh, oh, I hope, promise. I hope so,” Fetterman joked.
“Because I guarantee whoever they put up, they’re going to make me look the reasonable guy that’s going to work with both sides together and find a way for Pennsylvania,” he added.
He defended his vote to keep the government open and said the WFP was lying about his intentions.
“And now it’s an absolute lie,” Fetterman said.
“Voting to keep our government open, that was a vote to make sure that 42 million Americans get their SNAP.”
“And now we’re going to pay all these people, like the military and the Capitol Police and all of those folks now, too. So now if they want to primary me … but my point, it’s like I’ve been on the side of common sense and I’ve always gonna put our country for party.”
“And I think most people now realize that shutting our government down was wrong.”
