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John Fetterman nearly doubles his approval rating among Republicans, according to a recent analysis

Among Pennsylvania voters, 48% approve and 37% disapprove of John Fetterman's performance as U.S. senator, according to a recent analysis by Morning Consult.

Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill on July 9, 2024.
Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) speaks with reporters on Capitol Hill on July 9, 2024.Read moreCliff Owen / AP

Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.) has nearly doubled his approval rating among Republicans while continuing to bolster his job performance rating among all Pennsylvania voters, according to an analysis from Morning Consult published Friday.

The analysis points to how the Democratic senator’s frequent outreach to the GOP — enough to help fuel baseless rumors that he would switch parties — has likely helped him gain the confidence of Republicans while still maintaining widespread support from voters back home in purple Pennsylvania. In the Keystone State, 48% of voters approve and 37% disapprove of Fetterman’s job performance during the last quarter of 2024, an 8 percentage-point increase since he took office.

Fetterman’s support among Democrats has become slightly diluted with 32% strongly backing his performance, a 9 percentage-point decrease from when he first came into office, according to the analysis. But on the flip side, Republicans’ support of Fetterman has jumped from 14% to 27%, and the percentage of Republicans who strongly disapprove of Fetterman’s performance has plummeted.

Morning Consult, known for its polling acumen, tracks the approval ratings of all U.S. senators throughout four quarters of each year. It’s based on a “three-month roll-up” from the Morning Consult’s daily U.S. tracking survey for registered voters. The margins of error are plus or minus 1 to 2 percentage points.

It appears Fetterman has found a way to strike a delicate balance between bipartisanship — something that seems all too rare on Capitol Hill — while apparently staying in Democrats’ good graces. Fetterman voted with Democrats against the confirmation of Pete Hegseth, President Donald Trump’s controversial pick for secretary of defense who was ultimately confirmed after Sen. Dave McCormick (R., Pa.) provided the key vote Senate Republicans needed to nominate him.

But in other instances, Fetterman has strayed from Democrats, contributing to fears among the party that he may become the next Kyrsten Sinema or Joe Manchin, former U.S. Senators who often clashed with the party.

Fetterman cosponsored the GOP-led Laken Riley Act and was one of 12 Democrats in the Senate to vote for the legislation, which would require federal authorities to detain undocumented immigrants arrested for theft-related crimes. He’s also expressed an openness to supporting some of Trump’s cabinet nominees and even joined Truth Social, the president’s social media platform, in an effort to reach as many people as possible.

The Pennsylvania Democrat perhaps shocked those in his party the most by meeting with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, becoming the first sitting Democratic senator to do so.

“I’m not just a Senator for Democrats — I’m a Senator for all Pennsylvanians... And because nobody is my gatekeeper, I will meet with anyone to secure some wins, including President Trump,” Fetterman said in a post on X earlier this month.