Democrat scheme to primary John Fetterman in the works: report

Top Democrats are moving to primary Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) in Pennsylvania in the 2028 in a move that could cause infighting among the party in one of the top swing states of the nation. The report comes as Fetterman was critical of other Democrats over the government shutdown.

Axios reports that potential Democrat challengers to Fetterman are already taking aim at the senator. Those that did not rule out running against him include Reps. Brendan Boyle and Chris Deluzio as well as former Rep. Conor Lamb.

On Wednesday evening, Fetterman said, “I follow country, then party,” in regard to the government shutdown. As of Thursday morning, Senate Democrats have blocked a continuing resolution (CR) from the GOP that will fund the government at current levels.

“You don’t hold the government hostage,” Fetterman said, adding that the shutdown is “what the Democratic Party wants to do."

"It’s the wrong thing for the country in a period of chaos. I refuse to vote to shut our government down … I would love to have a conversation about extending the tax credits for healthcare. Absolutely. But I would remind everybody, too: this was designed by the Democratic Party to expire at the end of the year. This is not something taken from, by the Republicans. They were designed to expire," he added.

When Boyle was contacted about the possible challenge to Fetterman, he responded, "Right now I'm focused on doing all I can to ensure Democrats win back the House in 2026. … After that, I will make a decision about 2028."

Deluzio dodged the question and said that he is focused on judicial races as well las the midterms in 2026. Lamb, who is also an attorney, said he was "in the middle of a trial" and did not talk about the race.