There's a certain kind of political theater that fools even smart people. A senator from a battleground state drifts a few degrees from his party's orthodoxy on a handful of high-profile votes, and suddenly conservatives start nodding approvingly, talking about what a "breath of fresh air" he is, and saying he should switch to the GOP. Yes, it’s refreshing to see a Democrat resist his party, but he’s not one of us.
I will give John Fetterman credit where it is due, and it’s come at a great political cost. He's deeply underwater with the Democrats who elected him, and he knows it. A recent Quinnipiac poll showed his net approval rating among Pennsylvania Democrats has cratered from +68 at the time of his election to -40 today — a staggering collapse of over 100 points in just three years.
Even Fetterman seems to be in denial about his situation. He went on NewsNation with Chris Cuomo this week and challenged the numbers, citing a Morning Consult survey showing his approval hovering around 48-49% among Democrats and in the 60s among Republicans. His takeaway? The people who hate him are just misinformed.
Chris Cuomo tried to CORNER Senator Fetterman with negative polling on live TV — but it completely BACKFIRED when Fetterman called out the data to his face.
— Overton (@overton_news) March 26, 2026
“That’s just not accurate.”
FETTERMAN: “Well, I mean, you know, for like the poll… that’s just not accurate.”
“You… pic.twitter.com/OMcw6u3SQx
That's a breathtaking lack of self-awareness.
Meanwhile, Republicans have warmed to Fetterman for understandable reasons. He backed the Laken Riley Act. He supports Israel. He was the lone Democrat to cast a critical vote advancing Markwayne Mullin's nomination as secretary of Homeland Security through the Senate Homeland Security Committee, and supported Operation Epic Fury. These all matter. But conservatives should resist the urge to canonize a man whose overall voting record is fairly lockstep with his party.
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And I’ll tell you why: he just voted, along with every other Democrat, against the SAVE America Act. Remember, there is nothing partisan about the SAVE America Act.
So, let’s stop pretending that John Fetterman is some kind of maverick.
He handed Democrats the vote they needed, and frankly, gave them even more cover to oppose the SAVE America Act.
Let me repeat: there’s nothing partisan about the SAVE America Act. The American people overwhelmingly support what it does—requiring photo ID to vote and proof of citizenship to register to vote. And it’s not even close. Poll after poll shows the same thing. The Pew Research Center found that 83% support voter ID laws, with strong majorities among Democrats, independents, whites, blacks, and Latinos. Gallup reports 84% overall support—98% of Republicans, 84% of independents, and even 67% of Democrats—with 83% backing proof-of-citizenship requirements. Rasmussen Reports shows 75% support, and that number keeps climbing.
This is one of the few issues where most Americans actually agree. The public has made its position crystal clear. Yet, Fetterman couldn’t vote for it? Sorry, but there’s no excuse he could give that would legitimately explain why he couldn’t support the SAVE America Act.
