Fetterman Mocks Left-Wing Group After Primary Challenge Threat

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania took a swipe at the far-left Working Families Party (WFP) on Tuesday after the activist group vowed to recruit a primary challenger against him — punishment, they say, for his vote to reopen the federal government.

The Pennsylvania chapter of the WFP announced on X that it would support a primary challenge, accusing Fetterman of having “once again sold out working Pennsylvanians” by backing last week’s bipartisan budget deal. The vote ended the shutdown that had frozen federal paychecks, suspended military compensation, and jeopardized SNAP benefits for millions.

Fetterman brushed off the threat during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Story,” joking that the WFP’s attack only underscores how out-of-touch the progressive fringe has become. The Daily Caller reported his reply:

“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 defended his vote to reopen the government, calling the WFP’s accusations dishonest.

“And now it’s an absolute lie,” he 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.”

Fetterman, who ran as a hard-left progressive in 2022, has increasingly broken with the Democratic Party base on foreign policy, immigration, government funding, and — most notably — his willingness to work constructively with President Donald J. Trump. That shift has infuriated the activist left.

WATCH:

Despite the ideological rift, Fetterman insists he isn’t leaving the Democratic Party.

The senator has also taken aim at his own leadership during the shutdown. Appearing on Fox & Friends earlier this month, Fetterman said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer “never” reached out to him during the standoff, echoing an Axios report that Schumer privately urged moderate Democrats to keep the government closed until the start of Obamacare open enrollment on Nov. 1.

Fetterman said he was “not in a conversation” and received “no outreach,” but made his position clear long before the shutdown began:

“I really kind of led the charge [to keep the government open] back in March. And then I said, ‘I know we’ll be back in September.’ And I said, ‘I know where my vote will be then, too.’”

“It’s always a hard yes to keep our government open. I mean, that’s my principle, because it’s wrong to shut our government down. And now we knew that we would put [at risk] those 42 million Americans for SNAP and paying our military and, you know, the Capitol Police.

I mean, people have went five weeks without being paid. I mean, that’s a violation of my core values. And I think it’s [a violation of] our party’s [values] as well.”

He blasted Democratic leaders for turning the shutdown into a political stunt, calling it an “absolute failure” and reminding his party:

“Americans are not leverage.”

Fox & Friends co-host Lawrence Jones pressed him: “Who is running the show now in the Democratic Party, in the Senate, in the House?”

Fetterman’s answer was blunt:

“No one really knows.”

He added that his votes reflect his values — even if that puts him at odds with the left-wing activist base:

“My values are reflected in my vote and the things that I support here, and if that might put me at odds with parts of my party, I’m okay with that. I mean, we need to be a … big tent party.”

Fetterman’s increasingly moderate posture — especially his break from the far-left shutdown strategy and his willingness to work with President Trump — is widening the fracture inside the Democratic Party. And now, with the WFP threatening a primary challenge, the senator appears ready to welcome the fight.