By John Cole | The Center Square contributor
In the latest chapter of U.S. Sen. John Fetterman’s strained relationship with his own party, a key swing county’s Democratic Party has called for him to be voted out of office in 2028.
“TRAITOR to Democrats. TRAITOR to Pennsylvanians. TRAITOR to those who worked tirelessly to elect him and stood with him. “51st vote,” my a$$. This FOX pundit is MAGA. Primary him and vote him out in 2028,” the Monroe Democratic County Party wrote on social media Sunday.
The post was made following a recent interview Fetterman gave to Fox News, during which he didn’t rule out voting for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for a cabinet position.
“I’m not sure what he’s, he’s up for the job, but I voted for some of those members of the Cabinet… like Marco Rubio,” Fetterman said. “I think he’s done a great job overall, too.”
Fetterman has voted for several Trump cabinet nominees, which has resulted in pushback from some in his own party. Most recently, Fetterman was one of two Democrats who voted to confirm Markwayne Mullin to serve as Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
“It used to not be very controversial to absolutely vote for these kinds of people just because it happens to be the opposite party,” he continued. “You know, right now, our entire party has been, we’re defined by TDS.”
TDS, a reference to “Trump Derangement Syndrome,” has been commonly used by those defending criticism directed toward the president.
Fetterman said that “we have to find a way to work together, and we can agree on some things, and we’re going to disagree on other things, as I’ve done.”
Monroe County, situated in the Poconos, is viewed as one of the key swing counties in Pennsylvania. Fetterman and Trump both won the county in their most recent elections.
In 2024, Trump carried the county by 669 votes over Vice President Kamala Harris. Trump’s victory in Monroe County was the first time a Republican candidate for president has won the county since 2004.
In 2022, Fetterman defeated Republican Mehmet Oz there by 3,505 votes.
Monroe County also backed Fetterman by a wide margin in the Democratic Party primary in 2022. He received 60% of the vote in the county during the primary election, which was just under 40% higher than the next closest Democrat, then U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, who tallied 21% of the vote there.
The Monroe County Democratic Party is not the first local county party to speak out publicly against Fetterman.
Cumberland County Democratic Party Chairman Matt Roan penned an op-ed in March 2025 calling for Fetterman to resign from office.
The Pennsylvania Democratic Party declined to comment. The Center Square requested comment from the Monroe County chapter, but has not yet received a response.
Polling conducted earlier this year showed that Fetterman’s job approval rating was above water with voters in Pennsylvania.
A Quinnipiac University Poll conducted in mid-February said that 46% of Pennsylvanians approve of Fetterman’s handling of his job as senator, while 40% disapprove, and 14% had no opinion.
However, more Republicans approve of Fetterman’s performance over members of his own party.
Among Republicans, 73% approve of Fetterman’s job performance, while 18% disapprove. Only 22% of Democrats approve of Fetterman’s handling of his job, while 62% disapprove.
Fetterman was a +68 with Democrats in Pennsylvania back in 2023, CNN’s Harry Enten noted, meaning the recent polling shows a 108-point swing among his party.
Despite the poor approval rating among Pennsylvania Democrats, Fetterman has said over the past year that he would not switch parties, although POLITICO reports that an effort is underway from some Republicans to get the state’s senior senator to become a Republican.
Last year, Fetterman announced that he was donating $100,000 to the Pennsylvania Democratic Party in support of Eugene DePasquale, who was elected as state party chair.
DePasquale told the Pennsylvania Capital-Star in September 2025 that, despite criticism from fellow Democrats, he believed Fetterman was “fighting for what he believes in and what he campaigned on, and he’s a loyal Democrat, and he’s offered to help support the party, and we appreciate that, and I’m hopeful to continue that working relationship moving forward.”
As speculation continues about Fetterman’s future, Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Greg Rothman told the Center Square in April that he wouldn’t rule out supporting Fetterman in 2028, if he switched parties.
