Democrat John Fetterman launches cross-aisle fundraising committee with Republican Dave McCormick

In a rare move, Pennsylvania’s two senators have created a joint fundraising committee that would allow them to split money from donors who want to give to both of their campaigns, despite being members of different parities.

Democratic Sen. John Fetterman’s decision to join Republican Sen. Dave McCormick in the fundraising collaboration comes as he has repeatedly dismissed speculation that he could switch parties after siding with Republicans on several key votes.

As polls have shown him losing support among Democratic voters, he’s also reported raising significantly fewer campaign funds on his own and has not said if he will run for a second term in 2028.

Common Ground PA, which filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission Monday, lists four beneficiaries for the joint fund: Fetterman for PA, Friends of Dave McCormick, Every Vote PAC, which lists Fetterman as the PAC sponsor, and Pennsylvania Honor, which lists McCormick as the leadership PAC sponsor.

A joint fundraising committee, first enabled by the FEC in 1977, allows two or more candidates, PACs, or party committees to coordinate fundraising efforts to share donations and expenses.

A donor can abide by federal contribution limits while still giving one check that can be allocated to multiple campaigns. But since these groups typically involve party committees, it’s rare for these joint ventures to be bipartisan.

Katie Terry, who is listed as the treasurer for Team McCormick, is also the treasurer for Common Ground PA. She did not respond to a request from The Philadelphia Inquirer for comment.

The joint fundraising committee was first reported by POLITICO.

The two senators have spoken often about their cross-aisle friendship since McCormick took office in 2025 and they’ve repeatedly teamed up in recent months.

They appeared alongside one another last week in Philadelphia to promote Trump Accounts, the new federally backed savings accounts for kids that became law with President Donald Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

And they also joined forces to fill Pennsylvania’s empty spot at the Great American State Fair after Gov. Josh Shapiro said state officials could not find a Pennsylvania business to sponsor the state’s booth.

Fetterman has also routinely criticized his own party, feuding with progressives on a range of issues, including Israel and immigration enforcement.

In a fundraising email sent in May, McCormick referred to Fetterman as one of his “closest working partners,” a realization that surprised even him.

In that drive, which asked donors to support his efforts to “work across the aisle to get results for the people of Pennsylvania,” McCormick praised his Democratic colleague.

“Senator John Fetterman and I couldn’t look more different. We don’t agree on everything. But we both grew up in Pennsylvania. We both know what it means to fight for working families who feel like Washington forgot them. And we both refuse to let politics get in the way of getting things done,” he wrote.

McCormick told reporters in May his friendship with Fetterman is the most frequent topic of conversation he hears, and he gets positive feedback from it.

“We look for ways to work together. I think people want that,” he said.

Individuals could donate to Fetterman or McCormick separately. But joint fundraising committees, which are used widely by both parties, pull in large checks from donors and split the money across multiple committees using a formula that adheres to federal contribution limits, according to an analysis from the watchdog group OpenSecrets.

Typically, though, campaigns joint fundraise with their party.

Common Ground PA is among the few coordinated efforts across the aisle. A former PAC, the Problem Solvers Patriots, fundraised for members of both parties in previous election cycles.

Fetterman, who polls poorly with Pennsylvania Democrats, is likely to face a primary challenge if he runs for another term.

Former U.S. Rep. Conor Lamb, who lost the Senate primary to Fetterman in 2022 and has not ruled out a run in 2028, blasted the move online as “Another betrayal from Fetterman.”

U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, a Western Pennsylvania who has received “a lot of encouragement” to run for Fetterman’s seat, also questioned the creation of the PAC.

“Helping the Republicans raise money to spend against Democrats is bad, right?” Deluzio said on X.

However, Fetterman has been notching strong approval from Republicans, and Pennsylvania Republicans along with Trump himself said he could receive GOP support if he switched parties.

Fetterman’s Republican support has also been growing at the bank with contributions from prominent GOP donors, particularly through his other joint fundraising committee and leadership PAC. At the same time, his fundraising has plummeted overall, raising less than half his previous annual totals in 2025.

Staff writers Gillian McGoldrick and Sam Janesch contributed to this story.