Christopher Deluzio

As yet another controversy swirls around Sen. John Fetterman, one of his harshest Democratic critics said over the holiday weekend that he might challenge Fetterman in 2028.

U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, whose district covers the northern and western parts of Allegheny County and all of Beaver County, said during interviews that he was thinking about taking on Fetterman in the Senate primary but is more focused on the midterm elections.

While attending Pittsburgh’s Labor Day parade, a must for Democratic politicians and candidates, Deluzio told KDKA-TV that he was “thinking” about challenging Fetterman, who is defending himself following a scathing Wall Street Journal report that used text messages and interviews with anonymous former staffers to describe his disdain for Senate responsibilities.

After the Journal article came out, Deluzio was among several Pennsylvania Democrats who ripped Fetterman for shirking his duties and ignoring meetings with constituents, calling it “pathetic behavior” from Fetterman.

Besides Deluzio, other Democrats considered potential primary challengers to Fetterman in 2028 are U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle of Philadelphia and former Reps. Conor Lamb and Susan Wild.

“I’ve got a lot of encouragement today even, but I am most focused on winning the midterms, my own race, flipping congressional seats in Pennsylvania,” Deluzio told KDKA.

Deluzio, a Naval Academy graduate, is heavily favored in his re-election bid against Republican Beaver County Sheriff Tony Guy in the 17th Congressional District race.

“I’m going all over this commonwealth to help us win those races to deliver a better government down in D.C.,” Deluzio said. “Right now, it’s been a wreck, seeing the president start a war, start trade wars, make life more expensive. That’s the most important thing we can do right now is to win these elections in November.”

Earlier, Deluzio appeared on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday” show and was asked about challenging Fetterman in 2028.

“I might, I haven’t decided that, and to be really blunt, I’m doing everything I can right now to help Democrats in Pennsylvania flip congressional seats to give Josh Shapiro a governing majority in the state Senate and grow the majority in the state House,” he told host Chris Stirewalt.

Echoing previous comments he’s made, Deluzio said, “John Fetterman’s nowhere to be seen on the campaign trail, and, again, to be very blunt, I don’t think there’s any Democrats in Pennsylvania who want him campaigning with them, even if he would show up.”

Deluzio said he did not think Fetterman’s political shift is a result of any health issues, such as the stroke he suffered in May 2022 and his battle with depression.

During the parade, Deluzio also spoke to a reporter from MeidasTouch about Fetterman not attending the event that draws union-supporting Democrats from all over Pennsylvania and the country.

Former President Joe Biden regulary attended the parade and Gov. Josh Shapiro and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, both potential Democratic presidential candidates in 2028, were there on Monday.

Instead of going to Pittsburgh, about a 20-minute drive from his home in Braddock, Fetterman joined Republican Sen. Dave McCormick on a visit to Bell & Evans, a chicken processing plant in Lebanon County.

On X, Fetterman did recognize some unions and wrote, “The Union Way of Life is sacred + my vote and voice will always follow them.”

Fetterman makes few public appearances in the state and his recent ones, which include visits to Philadelphia in June to tout “Trump Accounts” and Erie in August to talk about issues facing families, have been with McCormick.

“I can’t imagine he’d have much of warm welcome here today,” Deluzio told MeidasTouch at the parade.

“Folks are mad at him and it’s not just him cheerleading this war like a chickenhawk, it’s not the fact he’s going on Fox News undermining our party while I’m out there trying to help us win congressional races, it’s the laziness, the disrespect,” said Deluzio.

“You got elected to a serious job. A high public office. You’ve got to respect it and do the job.”