Pennsylvania Rep. Chris Deluzio said he “might” challenge Sen. John Fetterman in the 2028 Democratic primary, sharply questioning Fetterman’s commitment and standing within his own party.
On Sunday’s broadcast of NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday,” Deluzio openly considered a run against the first-term senator, telling host Chris Stirewalt, “I might, I haven’t decided that.” He went on: “And to be really blunt, I’m doing everything I can right now to help Democrats in Pennsylvania flip congressional seats, to give Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro a governing majority in the state Senate and grow the majority in the state House.”
Deluzio, a second-term representative, did not announce a campaign or file paperwork, but his remarks were pointed. He accused Fetterman of being absent from the campaign trail in a critical election year, saying, “John Fetterman’s nowhere to be seen on the campaign trail. And again, to be very blunt, I don’t think there’s any Democrat in Pennsylvania who wants him campaigning with them, even if he wouldn’t show up.” Deluzio added, “So I’m focused on doing what we can do right now to win, and I’ll deal with 2028 when we get past” the midterms.
The public swipe comes after months of growing friction among Keystone State Democrats. For the past 18 months, party figures in and outside Pennsylvania have criticized Fetterman’s approach and visibility. Deluzio amplified those critiques on social media after The Wall Street Journal published a Friday report on Fetterman’s alleged lack of commitment to his Senate duties, writing that the senator “has no sense of duty” and “He is not up for the high office he was elected to, and we in Pennsylvania will do something about it in 2028.”
Fetterman, for his part, dismissed the Journal report as a “hit piece.” He has continued to take positions that break from the national Democratic Party line, particularly on Israel and foreign policy. In June, Fetterman told Alexander Bolton at the Hill Nation Summit, “If our party ever becomes, and just makes it official, the anti-Israel party, that’s when I would leave.” He has defended Israel’s military campaign in Gaza even as a June poll by the Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found roughly half of Democrats believe Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.
The intraparty rift is not only about campaign appearances. Fetterman’s voting record has also been a flashpoint. According to VoteHub data cited by The Hill, Fetterman voted in line with President Trump’s position 28 percent of the time last year, the highest rate among Senate Democrats. He also voted against every Senate war powers resolution concerning the Iran war introduced in the upper chamber. These moves have fueled criticism that Fetterman is out of step with Pennsylvania Democrats and the national party base.
For now, Deluzio says his focus is on helping Governor Josh Shapiro and other Democrats win state legislative majorities this November. But his language leaves little doubt that he and others see Fetterman’s seat as vulnerable to a challenge from within the party. “He is not up for the high office he was elected to, and we in Pennsylvania will do something about it in 2028,” Deluzio wrote on social media.
John Fetterman swept into the Senate in 2022 as a candidate willing to buck the party establishment, but his tenure has exposed deep rifts among Pennsylvania Democrats. Fetterman’s public support for Israel, his willingness to break with party orthodoxy, and his absence from the 2024 campaign trail have all contributed to a mounting backlash from his own side.
Deluzio’s threat to challenge Fetterman, even if still tentative, signals that these divisions are not going away. As the state heads into pivotal elections this year, Democrats face the prospect of a bruising internal fight ahead of 2028.
Party insiders may want to paper over the cracks, but the public airing of grievances shows that many in the Democratic ranks are no longer willing to fall in line behind weak or absent leadership. Voters deserve a senator who shows up and fights for them, not just in Washington, but back home where it counts.
