By Anyone who dares to challenge left-wing orthodoxy in today’s Democratic Party risks being run out. Nowhere is that more evident than in Pennsylvania, where prominent Democrats are already circling Senator John Fetterman ahead of the 2028 primary.
Fetterman, who flipped a Republican Senate seat in 2022, remains broadly popular statewide. But his recent willingness to criticize his own party and his cautious openness to dialogue with former President Donald Trump have ignited fury among progressive ranks, fueling talk of a coordinated effort to end his political career.
A trio of ambitious Democrats—U.S. House Members Brendan Boyle and Chris Deluzio, and former Rep. Conor Lamb—have emerged as potential challengers, according to Axios. Each is testing the waters, deploying subtle digs that could soon escalate into full-scale attacks. The moves hint at a broader civil war over what kind of Democrat can still survive in a state that has twice backed Trump.
Boyle has gone furthest, branding Fetterman as a “Democrat favored by Trump” and mocking his reported Mar-a-Lago visits as “submissive gestures.” Deluzio has positioned himself as a blue-collar populist in the Bernie Sanders mold, expanding his footprint through labor rallies and endorsements beyond his district. Lamb, still smarting from his 2022 loss to Fetterman, has drawn praise from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and other progressives for his renewed broadsides against the senator.
Fetterman, whose blunt persona has often defied partisan labels, laughed off the intrigue as “clickbait,” later declining to elaborate. He countered critics by pointing to analysis showing he sides with Trump just 6% of the time—less than half Boyle’s 14%. Those, Fetterman noted, were “actual numbers,” not sensational headlines.
Boyle, pressed on his intentions, told Axios he’s focused on retaking the House in 2026 but acknowledged he’s been “encouraged” by labor and activist circles to consider a challenge. Deluzio has avoided direct confrontation but hinted he might enter if Fetterman steps aside, emphasizing the need for “constructive ties” with the state’s senior senator rather than “opportunistic” attacks. Lamb, now practicing law, sidestepped questions about his plans.
Boyle defended his critiques, saying he had “held back for a while” but spoke up after concluding that Fetterman’s public jabs at Democrats were damaging the party’s image.
The tension is backed by data. A Quinnipiac poll in September showed most Pennsylvania Democrats view Fetterman unfavorably—a warning sign that could embolden challengers in a primary, but one that ignores a big problem for Democrats: Fetterman is popular with the general public. The same poll showed that voters, by a 46 to 38 percent margin, approve of the way John Fetterman is handling his job as United States Senator.
Rumors of a party switch have circulated for months, though Fetterman has dismissed them outright. But the spectacle of Democrats eager to replace one of their own underscores a growing truth: ideological independence has become an endangered species inside the party.
In Pennsylvania, the 2028 primary is shaping up as more than a campaign—it’s a referendum on whether Democrats can still tolerate dissent, or whether even modest deviation from progressive orthodoxy now carries a political death sentence.
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