Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman responded Tuesday after the Working Families Party in his state said it would support a primary challenge against him following his vote to pass a budget bill to reopen the government.
The Pennsylvania WFP posted on X that Fetterman “once again sold out working Pennsylvanians,” announcing its intention to back a challenger in the next primary.
Fetterman addressed the announcement during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Story,” saying the move would not hurt him politically.
“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 defended his vote for the budget bill and disputed the allegation that the decision harmed his constituents.
“And now it’s an absolute lie. 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,” he said.
“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.”
Fetterman won his Senate seat in 2022 as a self-described “progressive.”
Since taking office, he has drawn criticism from fellow Democrats for positions he has taken on foreign policy matters, immigration, the shutdown, and his tone toward President Donald Trump.
His comments on those issues have placed him at odds with Democrats who initially aligned with him when he entered the Senate.
During the record-long shutdown, Fetterman publicly opposed Democratic leaders who resisted efforts to reopen the government.
He said the standoff was harming Americans who relied on government operations and that lawmakers should have reached an agreement sooner.
Despite the recent friction with the Working Families Party and criticism from members of his own party, Fetterman has made clear that he has no plans to leave the Democratic Party.
