Fetterman’s approval rating is tanking among Democrats. Here are 4 reasons why

Young people helped elect Sen. John Fetterman in 2022, but now, they are his largest group of detractors according to a new poll.

US Sen. John Fetterman’s fall from grace among Democratic voters in Pennsylvania continues, according to a new Quinnipiac Poll released on Tuesday. 

The poll found that 54% of Pennsylvania Democrats disapprove of Fetterman, while only 33% approve of his performance as senator. Young voters helped get Fetterman elected, but are now his largest group of detractors, with his approval rating sitting at -24 among 18-to-35 years olds. 

Data from Tufts University’s Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRLCE) found that voters ages 18 to 29 supported Fetterman by a 19-point margin in the 2022 election, helping him beat Mehmet O. 

Now, Fetterman’s support from Gen Z and millennial voters has completely eroded and swung in the opposite direction. 

Here’s four reasons why Democrats may be turning on Fetterman. 

“Trump’s favorite Democrat” 

There’s no beating around the bush on this one. Fetterman has often been willing to buck his own party and supporters to work with President Donald Trump, and in return, he’s become “Trump’s favorite Democrat.”

That’s how US Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Philadelphia) described Fetterman in a recent interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Fetterman was the only Democrat who traveled to Mar-a-Lago and met with Trump prior to his inauguration, and he has voted to confirm some of Trump’s most conservative cabinet members, such as Attorney General Pam Bondi, who tried to overturn Pennsylvania’s 2020 presidential election results. 

More recently, he was one of only three Democrats who voted for Republicans’ continuing resolution, which sought to keep the federal government operating without extending Affordable Care Act tax credits that allow millions of Americans to obtain health insurance. The tax credits are set to expire at the end of this year and without them, tens of thousands of Pennsylvanians will lose their insurance through the ACA, while many others will see their premiums skyrocket. 

Turning his back on workers

Fetterman cruised to office wearing a Carhartt hoodie and gym shorts to try and appeal to everyday working Pennsylvanians, but he’s largely been absent from fighting for the working class since Trump’s return. 

While he has posted on social media in support of federal workers who’ve had their bargaining rights stripped from them by the Trump administration, Fetterman was mostly absent when Tesla CEO Elon Musk took a chainsaw to the federal government and illegally attempted to lay off thousands of federal employees. 

One major flashpoint happened in May when Fetterman lashed out at teachers who were meeting with him in his Washington DC office. Fetterman yelled at the teachers the day before New York Magazine published a long expose detailing his mental health struggles.

More recently, home care workers from across Pennsylvania lobbied Fetterman to fight for the extension of ACA tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of this year and are at the center of the ongoing shutdown talks. 

The home care workers are calling on Fetterman to fight for them as they fought to get him elected. However, Fetterman voted in favor of the Republican spending plan that did not include an extension of those tax credits. 

No public appearances

Fetterman has kept a light schedule and has made very few public appearances around Pennsylvania since the start of 2025. 

The senator stopped by the Pennsylvania Farm Show earlier this year, but went months between public appearances. 

Fetterman was supposed to appear with US Sen. Dave McCormick  at a book event promoting McCormick’s children’s book in March, but the two canceled the event due to scheduling conflicts. Demonstrations were planned outside of the event. 

Fetterman has also mostly avoided holding events or town halls in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh. 

Becoming a war hawk

Whether it’s Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza, the bombing of Yemeni citizens, or the sinking of Venezuelan fishing vessels, there isn’t an international conflict Fetterman has come out against. 

Fetterman has found himself at odds with the former Pope, scholars, and activists in defending Israel’s war crimes in  Gaza and has continually defended Israel’s assassinations of opposition political leaders and unprovoked attacks against neighboring counties.

Fetterman even  accepted a silver pager from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a way to mock the victims of an attack carried out by the country.  

This puts him out of step with Democratic voters, only 8% of whom support Israel’s military actions in Gaza, according to a July poll from Gallup.