Far-Left Campaign to Primary Sen. Fetterman Gets Underway: Report

A far-left activist organization is ramping up an early effort to unseat Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) in the 2028 Democratic primary, underscoring deepening fractures within the Democratic Party—years before voters will cast a ballot.

The Pennsylvania Working Families Party (WFP), a progressive grassroots group, announced plans to recruit and train candidates, volunteers, and donors with the explicit goal of backing a primary challenger to Fetterman, who was elected to the Senate in 2022. Despite the race being four years away, the group has already launched a dedicated website—PrimaryFetterman.com—to serve as an organizing hub, according to NBC News.

In public statements, the group accused Fetterman of abandoning the progressive base, declaring that he “sold us out” and insisting that Pennsylvanians “deserve real working class leadership in the U.S. Senate.” The WFP cited Fetterman’s occasional alignment with Republicans on budget votes and other policy disputes as justification for its aggressive campaign.

“While Sen. John Fetterman is supporting Trump’s use of American tax dollars to ‘run’ Venezuela or buy Greenland, 500,000 Pennsylvanians are about to see their health care premiums rise because of the Republican budget bill he supported,” said Nick Gavio, mid-Atlantic communications director for the Working Families Party and a former Fetterman staffer.

“People across Pennsylvania did not put time, money and energy into supporting his campaign just to elect a Democrat who votes against our interests time and time again. We need new leadership,” Gavio added.

What the progressive group did not acknowledge is that the rising premiums referenced stem from Obamacare, the federal health care law passed during Barack Obama’s first term without a single Republican vote. At the time, Democrats promised the law would “fix healthcare.” In the years since, numerous analysts have argued that its taxpayer-subsidized structure has instead helped drive insurance costs higher—particularly for working families.

The Working Families Party has yet to name a specific challenger but says it will hold recruitment and training events across Pennsylvania as it builds momentum ahead of the 2028 primary.

As of this report, Fetterman’s office has not issued a formal response to the group’s announcement. The senator—who has made a point of reaching beyond the progressive wing of his party—has drawn criticism from the left for breaking ranks on key issues, including the recent government shutdown and major foreign policy debates.

Fetterman’s willingness to engage conservative voters and reject partisan theatrics has reportedly cost him longtime staffers and progressive allies, even as he continues to vote with Democrats the majority of the time. According to NBC News, Democrats from across Pennsylvania’s ideological spectrum are quietly weighing potential challenges, including members of the state’s congressional delegation and former officeholders.

In November, Fetterman publicly mocked the Working Families Party after it announced plans to back a primary opponent.

Appearing on Fox News’ “The Story,” Fetterman dismissed the threat, arguing that a challenger from the far left would only strengthen his standing with voters, The Daily Caller reported.

“Ooh, ooh, oh, I hope, promise. I hope so,” Fetterman joked.

“Because I guarantee whoever they put up, they’re going to make me look the reasonable guy that’s going to work with both sides together and find a way for Pennsylvania,” he added.

The senator defended his vote to keep the federal government open and accused the WFP of misrepresenting his record.

“And now it’s an absolute lie,” Fetterman said.

“Voting to keep our government open, that was a vote to make sure that 42 million Americans get their SNAP.”

“And now we’re going to pay all these people, like the military and the Capitol Police and all of those folks now, too. So now if they want to primary me … but my point, it’s like I’ve been on the side of common sense and I’ve always gonna put our country for party.”

“And I think most people now realize that shutting our government down was wrong.”

The unfolding clash highlights a familiar pattern: progressive activists turning on their own whenever Democrats stray from ideological purity—while figures willing to work across party lines face backlash for prioritizing governance over slogans.