Democratic senator John Fetterman made a surprise virtual appearance at the Republican midterm convention, delivering a video address supporting Dave McCormick, a Republican running for re-election in Pennsylvania.
Fetterman, who has increasingly broken with his party since his election in ۲۰۲۲, said he would always reject “extremes and socialism” in the video, repeating an oft-used Republican critique of the Democratic party’s increasingly popular left wing.
In the video, he was seen standing outside the Mon Valley Works – a processing plant operated by US Steel in Pittsburgh. In a stunning display of support for Republican colleague in the Senate, Fetterman called McCormick his “great friend”, and said that he would work with him and Donald Trump “to fight and defend the steel way of life”.
“Yes, I’m a Democrat. Why am I here talking to you today? Because well, I’m a commonsense Democrat. I’m always going to stand with America,” the Pennsylvania lawmaker said in the pre-recorded message. “I’m always going to reject the extremes and socialism and that anti-American way of life. Dave McCormick is the kind of senator that gets the job done, and he’s going to fight for Pennsylvania.”
Attendee Tracy Smith, from Maryland, was enthusiastic about the news as she watched at the convention in Dallas.
“I actually think it’s really awesome that he’s come around,” she said. “He’s more common sense, and even though he’s a Democrat, he can see both sides. You have to get along. It’s like a seesaw. You know, not right or left, but in the middle. And I think he realized that, and it’s actually amazing.”
Asked if she thought Fetterman could switch to the Republican party, she said: “I actually do. I think he’s leaning that way right here. It would be great. I think it would be awesome.”
Eric Torrison, who traveled from Arizona to attend the convention, was also laudatory.
“There is no way on God’s green Earth that I would have supported Fetterman when he ran for the Senate, and [was] aghast when he got elected,” said Eric Torrison, who lives in Arizona.
“But it’s really interesting. He seems to have held to his beliefs, and not run to the left, and he seems to be, from a conservative standpoint, from a Republican standpoint, the only sensible Democrat there.”
Fetterman has been in the limelight after reports from current and former staff that he was avoiding constituent events, behaving erratically and cozying up to conservative media.
In the past week the senator has attempted to defend himself after an account on X, which claims to be run by former staffers, gained traction.
