John Fetterman rode into the Senate in 2022 as the progressive champion Democrats thought they needed.
But that was then.
And John Fetterman just got a nasty surprise from the group that backed him.
Progressive organization declares war on Fetterman
The Pennsylvania Working Families Party dropped a bombshell Tuesday when it announced plans to primary Fetterman in 2028.
"Senator Fetterman has sold us out, and that's why the Pennsylvania Working Families Party is committed to recruiting and supporting a primary challenge to him in 2028," Shoshanna Israel, the Working Families Party's Mid-Atlantic political director, declared.¹
The group isn't messing around.
They launched an online portal to recruit candidates and volunteers, with a blunt call to action: "HELP PA WFP PRIMARY JOHN FETTERMAN."²
https://twitter.com/PAWorkFamilies/status/1990802307399967108?s=20
The Working Families Party has real muscle in Pennsylvania.
They currently hold two seats on Philadelphia City Council after defeating Republicans in districts the GOP controlled for over 70 years.
Israel made clear why progressives want Fetterman gone.
"Last week, Fetterman once again sold out working Pennsylvanians," she stated. "He was the deciding vote for a Republican budget bill that will strip healthcare from over 400,000 Pennsylvanians."³
That vote came after a 43-day government shutdown where Fetterman repeatedly crossed party lines to back Republican funding bills while most Senate Democrats held firm on extending Affordable Care Act subsidies.
The Working Families Party didn't hold back in labeling Fetterman a "Trump-enabling corporate Democrat" who has "turned his back" on Pennsylvania voters.⁴
Here's what makes this particularly brutal for Fetterman: the Working Families Party backed a different candidate in his 2022 primary.
They supported State Representative Malcolm Kenyatta over Lieutenant Governor Fetterman. But after Fetterman won the primary, progressives rallied behind him in the general election.
Now those same activists feel betrayed.
Fetterman's transformation alienates Democratic base
The numbers tell the story of Fetterman's spectacular fall with his own party.
A Quinnipiac University poll from October showed Fetterman's approval among Democrats collapsed to just 21%, with 62% disapproving.⁵
Back in January, those numbers looked completely different: 80% of Democrats approved of him, with only 10% disapproving. Now Republicans approve of him 54% to 33%.⁶
Fetterman has become a Fox News regular, defending his votes to end the government shutdown and criticizing fellow Democrats for what he called crossing "a red line."
"That was a red line for me, that I can't cross as a Democrat," Fetterman told Fox & Friends, declaring it "country over party."⁷
But progressives aren't buying it.
The Working Families Party specifically blasted Fetterman for being the only Democrat to vote to confirm Attorney General Pam Bondi, who was one of Trump's attorneys when he tried to overturn the 2020 election results.
They also hammered him for his staunch defense of Israel during the Gaza conflict, noting he "has repeatedly shown disregard for the rights of Palestinians" and refused to support a two-state solution.⁸
Fetterman voted with Republicans on the Laken Riley Act, requiring ICE to detain immigrants charged with theft-related offenses even without convictions.
Allegheny County Councilman Dan Grzybek, who backed Fetterman in 2022, posted on X that he regretted his support.
"I think I can unequivocally say that I was very wrong and that Conor Lamb would have been a far better Senator than Fetterman," Grzybek wrote.⁹
Former Representative Conor Lamb, who lost to Fetterman in that 2022 primary, is now being floated as a potential 2028 challenger.
The Working Families Party's announcement signals they're dead serious about finding someone to take Fetterman out.
They're holding recruitment events across Pennsylvania to train candidates and campaign staff, and they're raising money for what will be an expensive primary battle.
Israel summed up the progressive case against Fetterman:
"The people of Pennsylvania deserve a senator who won't enable Trump or vote with Republicans to rip healthcare away from over 400,000 of our neighbors."¹⁰
Fetterman insists he votes with Democrats "91% of the time" and says if that's not good enough, "maybe our party has a bigger problem."¹¹
But here's what Fetterman's missing: primary voters aren't looking at percentages.
They're looking at the votes that matter most. And on those votes – Trump nominees, the government shutdown, immigration enforcement – Fetterman sided with Republicans when it counted.
Pennsylvania Democrats watching this civil war develop should grab some popcorn.
The same progressives who powered Fetterman to victory in 2022 are now organizing to destroy him in 2028.
They've got three years to find a candidate, raise money, and build a movement.
And they just told Fetterman exactly what they think of his "country over party" routine.
¹ Shoshanna Israel, "Pennsylvania's Working Families Party pledges to support a primary challenger against Sen. John Fetterman," The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 19, 2025.
² Ibid.
³ The National News Desk, "Fetterman faces 2028 challenge as Pennsylvania Working Families Party vows to unseat him," November 19, 2025.
⁴ Pennsylvania Working Families Party statement, November 18, 2025.
⁵ "From Bernie ally to Trump defender: Fetterman's political transformation stuns Democrats," The Washington Times, November 12, 2025.
⁶ Ibid.
⁷ Ibid.
⁸ The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 19, 2025.
⁹ "Discontent with Fetterman bursts into the streets among Pa. Democrats," WESA, February 7, 2025.
¹⁰ The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 19, 2025.
¹¹ "Fetterman defends his voting record despite pushback from Democrats," CBS News, November 13, 2025.
