Just as Sen. John Fetterman’s tension with his own party has grown since he began his term in 2023, so have the Pennsylvania Democrat’s unexpected friendships with Republican senators.

And as Democrats’ chances of flipping the Senate in November improve, Fetterman’s friends across the aisle have been opening their arms even wider.

Pennsylvania GOP Chair Sen. Greg Rothman indicated last month that supporting Fetterman’s reelection wouldn’t be off the table if he switched parties. President Donald Trump asked Sean Hannity to urge Fetterman to become a Republican in exchange for the president’s support, according to the Fox News host.

But Fetterman has repeatedly said he doesn’t plan to switch parties, including Thursday in an opinion piece published in The Washington Post, following a new round of speculation.

“Being an independent voice that works with the other side to deliver for Pennsylvanians might put me at odds with the party that I have stayed committed to and have no plans to leave - but I will continue to put the commonwealth and the country first,” Fetterman wrote.

“Plus, I’d be a terrible Republican who still votes overwhelmingly with Democrats,” he added.

So why is everyone talking about Fetterman switching parties if he keeps saying he won’t, and why does it matter?

Why do people think Fetterman would change his political party?

Even though he votes with his party the majority of the time, Fetterman has had public disagreements with party leaders on a host of high-profile issues, including recent shutdowns, the Iran War, immigration enforcement, and even Trump’s desired White House ballroom. He’s consistently voted for Trump’s cabinet nominees and has criticized members of his party for having “Trump derangement syndrome,” a common Republican attack.

And while many Democrats support Israel — including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Gov. Josh Shapiro — Fetterman has been particularly vocal in criticizing the party’s progressive wing over its embrace of the Palestinian cause.

In Pennsylvania, Fetterman has polled much better among Republicans than members of his own party in recent months— an eye-popping 73% of Republicans approved of his job performance in a February poll compared to only 22% of Democrats.

Progressive groups who once supported his election now routinely stage protests outside his office. He’s also had high turnover on his staff, with some former employees openly opposing him or expressing concerns about his health.

Fetterman has been open about his friendships across the aisle, most notably with Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Dave McCormick and Alabama Republican Sen. Katie Britt, both of whom he’s worked together with on legislation.

And he’s been spending more time socializing with Republicans lately on Capitol Hill, according to Politico.

Fetterman said in his Thursday piece that rejecting the divide between parties “has become increasingly lonely” albeit necessary.

During Joe Biden’s presidency, former moderate Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Joe Manchin of West Virginia both became independents but continued to caucus with Democrats.

What are Democrats saying?

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro — who has had an icy relationship with Fetterman — said on CNN this week that the senator should “honor” the fact he was elected as a Democrat and stay in the party.

“I don’t know what Sen. Fetterman is going to do,” Shapiro told CNN host Jake Tapper. “I know that Pennsylvanians voted for a Democrat to represent them in the United States Senate, and so I think he needs to honor that and continue with his service to Pennsylvania and hopefully get back to what he was elected to do and reflect the will of the people.”

Attacks on Fetterman will likely ramp up from his own party as potential contenders gear up for the 2028 election. U.S. Reps. Brendan Boyle (D, Philadelphia), Chris Deluzio (D., Allegheny), and former U.S. Rep. Connor Lamb, a western Pennsylvania Democrat who lost the Senate primary to Fetterman, have all been floated as options.

Fetterman said in a joint appearance with Britt on NBC News that he has a political future and will run for office again, but fell short of committing to a re-election bid. He’s largely avoided answering whether he plans to run for his seat again in 2028.

In response to the speculation about whether Fetterman will remain a member of the Democratic party, Boyle said in a statement, “John Fetterman is getting exactly what he wants. More attention for John Fetterman.”

State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who represents parts of North Philadelphia and serves as a vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, said he does not want Fetterman to leave the party but that he generally “has lost all faith and confidence in John Fetterman in every single way.”

“I think what’s been clear for a long time is that, you know, John Fetterman is not a particularly dependable person … folks don’t have derangement syndrome for not wanting America engaged in another endless war that has raised gas prices,” said Kenyatta, who unsuccessfully competed against Fetterman in the 2022 primary.

Why do Republicans want him to change parties?

Fetterman is not up for election until 2028 but 35 of his Senate colleagues will be on the ballot this fall. Democrats have had their eye on taking control of the House among low support for Trump’s war in Iran and high gas prices, and they’ve more recently begun to view the Senate as within reach as well.

They need to flip four seats to take control. Every seat will matter.

So if Fetterman decides to become a Republican, or even become an independent and caucus with the GOP, he could enable Republicans to maintain control in the Senate even if Democrats win their targeted races in November.

Fetterman has been a frequent guest on right-leaning shows on Fox News, and Hannity recently claimed that Trump instructed him to pressure Fetterman to switch parties.

“He said ... ‘your job is to tell him he’s going to be running as a Republican, he’s going to have our full support, more money than he’s ever dreamed of and he’s going to win big,’” Hannity said.

“He goes, ‘the Democrats don’t appreciate him, they don’t like him, they’re finished with him,’” he added.

While talking about the high stakes of the upcoming congressional elections, U.S. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Luzerne, cited the possibility of Fetterman switching parties on Fox Business this week.

“You got people like John Fetterman that might flip to become Republican, I think that‘ll send a good sign,” Meuser said, despite Fetterman’s comments to the contrary.

What has Fetterman said about the idea of switching parties?

Fetterman has described himself as an independent voice within the Democratic party and said several times that he does not plan to switch parties.

“As much as I am friends with a lot of Republicans, including my parents … I’m not a Republican,” he said in the joint appearance with Britt on NBC News. “That’s the truth”.

He said he’s “mystified” by the skepticism because the Democratic party calls itself the “big tent party” and cited his record of voting mostly in line with Democrats.

He joked about someone agreeing with their partner 93% of the time – his record voting with Democrats according to Politico – and that he “is not getting any close to that” with his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman.

And while progressive critics have argued that he’s betrayed the ideals he ran on, Fetterman has argued that his ideals have never changed.

The senator said Thursday that he has ”always turned to those kinds of ideals that defined being a Democrat," listing a slew of priorities.

“I remain strongly pro-choice, pro-weed, pro-LGBT, pro-SNAP, pro-labor and even pro-rib-eye over bio slop,” he wrote.

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