Democratic voters\u2019 sharply divided views on Fetterman \u2014 including 69% having an unfavorable opinion of him in general \u2014 are the latest signs he could face an uphill battle<\/a> if he seeks reelection as a Democrat in 2028.<\/p>\n Fetterman has not said whether he will run for a second term. <\/p>\n But as he weighs his options \u2014 which include leaving the Democratic Party because of what he considers its anti-Israel sentiment<\/a> \u2014 the senator\u2019s occasional support of Trump\u2019s agenda has contributed to his declining favorability among voters who helped elect him in the first place, the new survey indicates.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m so disappointed in him, I can\u2019t even see straight,\u201d said Joseph Jaskula, a retired salesman from Lewisburg in Union County who participated in the poll of 760 likely voters<\/a> conducted by Siena University on behalf of The Inquirer and The New York Times from Aug. 17 to 21.<\/p>\n Jaskula, a Democrat who said he voted for Fetterman in 2022, said he\u2019s particularly upset about the senator\u2019s votes for several of Trump\u2019s nominees<\/a> and for the war in Iran.<\/p>\n Fetterman has been the only Senate Democrat to vote <\/a>against restricting the president\u2019s use of military force in Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cHe voted with the Republicans<\/a> on that,\u201d Jaskula, 72, said of the war powers resolutions that aimed to rein in Trump. \u201cAnd he\u2019s had some other ones where we wonder if he\u2019s a Republican or a Democrat.\u201d<\/p>\n Fetterman\u2019s standing among Pennsylvania voters overall remains split, according to the poll.<\/p>\n He is viewed favorably by 49% and unfavorably by 43% of all likely voters in the state. That was nearly the same result as the last time the Inquirer\/New York Times\/Siena poll asked about Fetterman\u2019s favorability<\/a>, in May 2024.<\/a><\/p>\n But the difference between now and then \u2014 when Fetterman was campaigning against Trump\u2019s election and only two years removed from his own sweeping victory in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary \u2014 is who is supporting him.<\/p>\n Fetterman outperforms McCormick with GOP voters<\/p>\n In almost the exact opposite breakdown compared to about two years ago, just one in five likely Democratic voters say they have a favorable view of Fetterman while four out of every five likely Republican voters said they have a favorable view. <\/p>\n Even Fetterman\u2019s Republican counterpart in Pennsylvania \u2014 U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick<\/a>, who was elected in 2024 \u2014 is viewed favorably by a smaller share of GOP voters<\/a>, about 66% compared to Fetterman\u2019s 79%.<\/p>\n Don Levy, director of the Siena Research Institute, called the senator\u2019s numbers \u201cshocking.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf you didn\u2019t know any difference, you would immediately assume that Fetterman and McCormick are both Republicans, and that Fetterman is an extremely popular Republican senator amongst Republicans,\u201d Levy said. \u201cI can\u2019t think of another case exactly like this.\u201d<\/p>\n Fetterman, citing his voting record in the Senate that still mostly aligns with Democrats, has said repeatedly that he will not switch his registration to Republican<\/a>. <\/p>\n GOP leaders who are fighting to retain control of the Senate this fall have said they would welcome the Pennsylvania Democrat into their fold.<\/p>\n And Fetterman has raised the prospect of leaving the party, possibly becoming an independent in the process, if Democrats oppose Israel<\/a> as an \u201cofficial\u201d part of their platform. He has staunchly supported the country in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas, and as Democrats have become increasingly opposed to Israel\u2019s counterattack.<\/p>\n Fetterman has opposed fellow Democrats\u2019 efforts to end the United States\u2019 assistance to Israel\u2019s offensive measures. He\u2019s also become the most vocal Democratic supporter of both countries\u2019 attacks against Iran, an issue that also remains deeply unpopular among Pennsylvania voters.<\/p>\n At the same time, Fetterman has backed other Trump initiatives, like immigration enforcement<\/a> and the investment accounts for children known as Trump Accounts.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a voice in the party, standing up for what\u2019s right,\u201d said Nicholas Morabito, a 32-year-old warehouse worker in Butler who participated in the poll.<\/p>\n A registered Republican, Morabito said he would consider voting for Fetterman in 2028, regardless of which party was next to his name on the ballot.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s very much difference between the two of us. Just the difference in party,\u201d Morabito said.<\/p>\n
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