Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) ravaged the radical socialist candidates who are taking over his party – but insisted to The Post this week he has no plans to defect, at least for now.
“I said months ago, I said the Democratic Party is becoming an orgy of socialism. These recent elections vindicate my description,” he told The Post after Democratic Socialists of America triumphed in three New York House primary races Tuesday that rocked the party establishment.
Fetterman, elected in a marquee race in a battleground state in 2022, called 32-year-old doctoral student Darializa Avila Chevalier – who knocked off incumbent Adriano Espaillat – “deeply disturbed.”
“Chevalier described America as a f–king disgrace. She posted ‘f–l Kamala Harris’ and posted that she forgot napkins and wiped her hands on the American flag. She wants to abolish the border, abolish prisons. That is a deeply disturbed individual,” he said.
“P-Hustle and Chevalier: the dirtbag left’s new power couple,” he sneered, referencing the Reddit name Maine Democratic Senate nominee Graham Platner used to mock a teen’s suicide and make other outrageous posts.
Fetterman previously vowed to ditch his signature hoodie if Platner proves he didn’t send “d–k pics” to minors.
State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez of the DSA won the primary to succeed retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) in the 7th District, and Brad Lander, backed by Mayor Mandani, smoked incumbent Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) in the 10th District. All are almost certainly heading to Washington to represent deep blue districts.
Those wins came as DSA candidates made gains in the state assembly by running campaigns centered around the complete dismantling of western ideology and progress.
“Even if I changed my party, my votes or views wouldn’t change,” Fetterman said, apparently leaving the door open to the idea. He flagged a May Washington Post column where he called himself an independent voice.
“I address this very directly. That’s the truth,” he said.
A switch could nullify Democratic gains if they manage to recapture the Senate, although the last Pennsylvania senator who did so, Arlen Specter, lost his primary a year after he bolted the Republicans to join the Democrats.
Fetterman has championed the Iran war backed by President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – and was the only Democrat backing Trump on an Iran War Powers resolution that prompted a shouting match at a closed luncheon. But he posted earlier this year online that ICE should stand down in Minneapolis after the shootings of Rene Good and Alex Pretti,
Sometimes bucking prevailing party views hasn’t done much for his popularity at home.
Fetterman’s favorability rating was just 24 percent in a new Suffolk University / Philadelphia Inquirer poll, compared to a 43 percent unfavorable rating.
The more traditional Gov. Josh Shapiro had a positive 62-16 rating.
For Fetterman, the upswing in socialist candidates isn’t just just an ideological beef.
A self-described democratic socialist and “proud troublemaker” candidate, Chris Rabb, prevailed in House Democratic primary in Philadelphia.
He is already being talked about as a potential primary challenger to Fetterman in 2028.
