John Fetterman

Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman is broadly popular among Republicans, according to recent polling conducted in the last six months.

The positive polling comes amid reports that Republicans are trying to persuade Fetterman to flip his allegiance to their party ahead of challenging midterms elections in which Republicans seek to maintain key seats.

This year, Republicans are defending a 53 seat majority in the Senate, with 35 seats up for grabs. If the Democrats win the Senate, they can undermine President Donald Trump's policy agenda and weaken his grip on power, though polling has suggested the GOP will keep the Senate.

POLITICO, citing anonymous sources in the GOP that Newsweek has not verified, reported that Senate Republicans and President Donald Trump are trying to court Fetterman.

Positive polling from Republicans may factor into Fetterman's decisions to switch parties, though Fetterman told POLITICO he was "not changing" when asked about his partisan alignment. "I'm a Democrat, and I'm staying one," he said.

Newsweek reached out to Fetterman and the White House by email to comment on this story outside of normal business hours.

Recent Fetterman Polling

A December 2025 Emerson College poll of 2,000 Pennsylvania residents found that Fetterman had a 57 percent approval rating among Republicans and a 31 percent approval rating among Democrats.

According to a February Quinnipiac University Poll, his rating among the GOP then increased and 73 percent of Pennsylvania Republicans approved of Fetterman’s job performance while 22 percent of Democrats approved. The poll of 836 registered voters had a margin of error of +/- 4.7 percentage points.

By April, according to a Real Clear Opinion Research/Emerson College Poll, this approval rating among Republicans dropped slightly. Then, Fetterman had a 60 percent approval rating among Republicans and a 24 percent approval among Democrats.

Fetterman Breaks Democratic Ranks

The polling comes as Fetterman has sided with Republicans on several recent occasions. In February, he said he supported the Trump administration's strikes on Iran.

“President Trump has shown time and time again, you NEVER threaten America," the senator wrote on X on Saturday morning. "God Bless our great troops, God Bless President Trump, and God Bless America.”

In March, he voted to advance Senator Markwayne Mullin to lead the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), sparking criticism from some of his Democratic colleagues.

In April, he said the shooting at the White House Correspondents' Association (WHCA) dinner proved Trump's case for the construction of a White House ballroom.

"We were there front and center," the senator wrote on X. "That venue wasn’t built to accommodate an event with the line of succession for the U.S. government."

"After witnessing last night, drop the TDS and build the White House ballroom for events exactly like these," he added, referring to "Trump Derangement Syndrome," a popular term used by the president's supporters to highlight what deem to be "acute onset of paranoia" regarding the Trump presidencies.

What Has Fetterman Said About Joining the GOP?

Despite siding with the GOP, Fetterman has maintained that he is a Democrat. Speaking to Fox News' John Roberts in April, he said: "My voting record actually reflects that I am a Democrat." He added that he was "staying in my party."

According to POLITICO, he told a senior Republican that he would be a "s****y Republican."