The rebel in the hoodie has become the adult in the room.
According to a new Axios report, Democrats are quietly plotting to primary Sen. John Fetterman in 2028 — a stunning turn for the Pennsylvania Democrat who once embodied the left’s populist dreams and now stands accused of heresy for sounding like a man with common sense.
Why it matters: Democrats haven’t flipped a Republican Senate seat since Fetterman did it in 2022. He remains popular with Pennsylvania voters, even as his party grows cold toward his measured tone on President Trump and his reluctance to join the mob.
Potential challengers are already circling, sniping at Fetterman — and at each other — years ahead of schedule.
Party insiders name Reps. Brendan Boyle and Chris Deluzio, along with former Rep. Conor Lamb, as likely contenders should the senator retire or lose favor with the activist base.
This week, during a televised town hall, Fetterman’s defiant streak was unmistakable. He blasted Democrats for engineering the government shutdown and refused to parrot the ritual denunciations of Trump supporters as “Nazis” and “fascists.”
“I would love to have a conversation about extending the tax credits for health care. 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 by the Republicans. They were designed to expire,” Fetterman said.
In a party now ruled by purity tests and panic, Fetterman’s sin is simple: he tells the truth.
And in modern Democratic politics, that’s the one thing you’re not allowed to do.
Watch the clips below:
John Fetterman brings the Kennedy Center to complete silence as he delivers this emotional message on stage:
“I know and I love people who voted for President Trump. They are NOT fascists, they’re NOT Nazis, they’re NOT trying to destroy the Constitution.”
“I REFUSE to call… pic.twitter.com/f9U8tnYlJy
— Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) October 16, 2025
John Fetterman just blew up Democrats' shut down narrative.
FETTERMAN: "Shutting the government is really what the Democratic Party wants to do… [Obamacare subsidies were] designed by the Democratic Party to expire … This is NOT something taken by the Republicans.” pic.twitter.com/VE4s1LRWDE
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 16, 2025
Read the Axios report here:
SCOOP: Top Democrats in Pennsylvania are maneuvering to run against Sen. John Fetterman in a 2028 primary, threatening to tear the party apart in the biggest battleground state in the nation, @hollyotterbein reports. https://t.co/xsYQVyncfw
— Axios (@axios) October 16, 2025
