Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) has become one of Fox News‘s favorite Democratic guests, making 56 appearances on the television network this year as questions mount over his increasingly strained relationship with his own party.
Upon vetting nearly 750 videos mentioning his name since the start of this year, the Washington Examiner identified over 56 appearances by Fetterman on the network as of July 19. His appearances on the cable channel favored by conservatives come as speculation intensifies on whether Fetterman, who is not up for reelection until 2028, will leave the Democratic Party.
“It’s because I’m handsome. That’s a way into my male modeling career,” Fetterman joked when asked by the Washington Examiner why he has appeared on Fox so frequently. “No, but I mean, I’d be happy to talk to anybody. I mean, like, yes, I get more invitations from Fox, but I’m happy to go on MSNBC or CNN.”
“I’m always having that conversation, regardless of what the political slant is,” the senator added.
Fetterman has appeared on Sean Hannity’s 9 p.m. primetime show the most — racking up 15 appearances in total. Coming a distant second was Saturday in America with Kayleigh McEnany, with seven appearances. Two shows tied for third, with six appearances each on Jesse Watters’s 8 p.m. show and Maria Bartiromo’s morning show. He has also made numerous appearances on Life, Liberty & Levin, The Ingraham Angle, and The Will Cain Show.
In comparison, the Pennsylvania maverick has only appeared on CNN 13 times since the start of 2026, according to the network’s internal tracking.
FETTERMAN DOWNPLAYS GOP FUNDRAISING PARTNERSHIP AND DODGES REELECTION PLANS
During his appearances on Fox, Fetterman regularly beefs with Democrats over contentious issues like illegal immigration and Israel. He repeatedly voted against a Democrat-backed Senate resolution to end the war in Iran, for example, telling the Washington Examiner in June that he objected to how his party was “expecting for Israel to grovel.”
Yet Fetterman’s policy overlap with Republicans largely ends there. Fetterman voted in line with President Donald Trump last year 28% of the time, the most of any Senate Democrat, according to a VoteHub analysis. But as a Republican, Fetterman would be far from Sen. Rand Paul’s (R-KY) 88% record, the lowest among GOP senators.
Even so, frustrated Democrats on and off Capitol Hill point to Fetterman’s transition from a candidate once backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to one of the most willing members of his caucus to cross the aisle. On July 6, the Democratic senator launched a new joint fundraising committee with his GOP seatmate, Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), called Common Ground PA.
“Another betrayal from Fetterman,” former Rep. Conor Lamb, a Pennsylvania Democrat who’s positioned himself for a potential 2028 Senate run, posted on social media at the time. “But look on the bright side, we’ll get Republicans to burn their money before Pennsylvania fires him.”
A Philadelphia Inquirer-Suffolk University poll of 500 voters in Philadelphia from June found that only 17% of Democrats viewed Fetterman favorably, compared to 60% of Republicans.
More recently, a Quinnipiac University poll released on July 15 found 52% of Pennsylvania voters want Fetterman to leave the Democratic Party, compared to 31% who want him to stay. Broken down by party, the survey found 57% of Democrats, 55% of Republicans, and 46% of independents think Fetterman should switch parties.
“The Democrats would like to show him the door. The Republicans seem to be welcoming him in,” Quinnipiac University polling analyst Tim Malloy said in a release. “Thus is the political irony of Senator John Fetterman.”
Last week, Fetterman floated that he would leave the Democratic Party if it became “the anti-Israel party.”
“My long-term concern has been with the Democratic Party, as I am a member of that, is that our party is going to back away and turn their back to Israel,” Fetterman said. “If our party ever becomes, and just makes it official, the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave because that’s been a moral clarity for me.”
JOHN FETTERMAN THREADS THE NEEDLE AFTER THREAT TO ABANDON DEMOCRATS
This past week, after Vice President JD Vance alleged that Israel is paying online influencers to criticize and undermine administration talks toward an Iran peace deal, Fetterman had harsh remarks.
“It is a betrayal,” Fetterman told the Washington Examiner. “Anyone — I don’t care if Republican or Democrat — betray Israel, I’ll of course reject that in the strongest terms.”
David Sivak, Ramsey Touchberry, Emily Hallas, Rena Rowe, Sydney Topf, and Max Grinstein contributed to this story.
Continue reading...
[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
