Democratic Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman mocked the Working Families Party on Tuesday after the group announced it will support a primary challenge against him. The Pennsylvania WFP posted on X that it intended to primary Fetterman after he voted to pass a budget bill to reopen the government, accusing him of having âonce again sold out working Pennsylvanians.â
Fetterman responded on Fox Newsâ âThe Storyâ and said a challenger from the left would only make him appear more appealing to voters, The Daily Caller reported.
âOoh, ooh, oh, I hope, promise. I hope so,â Fetterman joked.
âBecause I guarantee whoever they put up, theyâre going to make me look the reasonable guy thatâs going to work with both sides together and find a way for Pennsylvania.â
He defended his vote to keep the government open and said the WFP was lying about his intentions.
âAnd now itâs an absolute lie,â Fetterman said.
âVoting to keep our government open, that was a vote to make sure that 42 million Americans get their SNAP.â
âAnd now weâre 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, itâs like Iâve been on the side of common sense and Iâve always gonna put our country for party.â
âAnd I think most people now realize that shutting our government down was wrong.â
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Fetterman ran as a self-described progressive when he won his Senate seat in 2022, but angered members of his own party over positions on foreign policy, immigration, and the government shutdown, as well as his diplomatic approach toward President Donald Trump.
He was critical of Democratic leaders for refusing to reopen the government during the record-long shutdown and said the standoff was harming Americans.
Despite the friction, Fetterman has repeatedly said he has no plans to leave the Democratic Party.
Sen. Fetterman said this month during the government shutdown that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) âneverâ spoke with him about the shutdown, adding that âno one really knowsâ who is leading Democrats.
Fetterman made the remarks during an appearance on Fox & Friends, responding to an Axios report that Schumer had privately urged a group of moderate Democrats in mid-October to keep the government closed until at least the start of the Affordable Care Act open enrollment on Nov. 1.
âI was not in a conversation or I never got any outreach,â said Fetterman, adding that âeveryone understoodâ his position.
âI really kind of led the charge [to keep the government open] back in March. And then I said, âI know weâll be back in September.â And I said, âI know where my vote will be then, too.ââ
âItâs always a hard yes to keep our government open,â he explained Tuesday during his Fox appearance. âI mean, thatâs my principle, because itâs wrong to shut our government down. And now we knew that we would put [at risk] those 42 million Americans for SNAP and paying our military and, you know, the Capitol Police.
âI mean, people have went five weeks without being paid. I mean, thatâs a violation of my core values. And I think itâs [a violation of] our partyâs [values] as well,â he added.
He blasted his fellow Democrats for turning the shutdown into a political stunt, calling it an âabsolute failureâ and reminding them that âAmericans are not leverage.â
Asked by co-host Lawrence Jones: âWho is running the show now in the Democratic Party, in the Senate, in the House?â, the Pennsylvanian made a stunning admission.
âNo one really knows,â Fetterman responded. âMy values are reflected in my vote and the things that I support here, and if that might put me at odds with parts of my party, Iâm okay with that. I mean, we need to be a ⌠big tent party.â
