John Fetterman joins forces with Republican counterpart in Senate for fundraising committee

John Fetterman and David McCormick at the Edward M Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate on 2 June 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. Photograph: Scott Eisen/Getty Images View image in fullscreen John Fetterman and David McCormick at the Edward M Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate on 2 June 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. Photograph: Scott Eisen/Getty Images John Fetterman joins forces with Republican counterpart in Senate for fundraising committee Venture between two Pennsylvania senators stokes speculation about Fetterman’s future in Democratic party The Democratic senator John Fetterman, who has faced mounting political challenges, is joining forces with the Republican senator Dave McCormick to launch a new joint fundraising committee, a move that is likely to fuel additional questions about Fetterman’s increasingly rightward lurch. Pennsylvania ’s two US senators have established a shared fundraising committee that will collect donations benefiting both of their campaigns in an unusual bipartisan arrangement. Federal Election Commission records filed on Monday show the creation of Common Ground PA. The filing identifies the leadership Pacs and principal campaign committees for both Fetterman and McCormick as participants in the joint committee. Politico first reported the formation of the fundraising committee this week. ‘How do we know you won’t be the next John Fetterman?’: bruised Democrats weigh how to win back voters Read more The move led to fresh speculation that Fetterman might be planning a party switch. Rick Wilson, the longtime political consultant and anti-Trump activist, predicted “He’s gonna flip” in a social media post in response to the new fundraising committee. Nick Field, a local politics writer in Pennsylvania, wrote : “Fetterman caucusing with the Republicans in 2027, and even trying to run in 2028 with their support, looks likelier and likelier by the day.” Mike Nellis, a Democratic political strategist, said that Democrats should assume that Fetterman “is a Republican going forward, and we can’t rely on his vote – especially when it comes to judges”. Fetterman built his reputation in 2016 as a vocal progressive and an early backer of Bernie Sanders ’ presidential campaign. In the years since, however, he has steadily moved away from many of his earlier left-leaning positions, emerging as a bipartisan lawmaker who has increasingly found common ground with Republicans. Since Donald Trump began his second term, Fetterman has repeatedly broken with fellow Democrats on key issues. He was the only Democrat to support the confirmation of several of Trump’s cabinet nominees, has backed parts of the administration’s immigration enforcement agenda and has supported the US war with Iran . As a result, Fetterman has faced repeated criticism from members of his own party. Fetterman’s next re-election campaign will take place in 2028, while McCormick does not face voters again until 2030. According to the latest Feder