Progressives are wondering if maybe they were a little too tough on the once up-and-coming lawmaker.
Lamb himself has not undergone any apparent ideological transformation. Instead, he’s simply shown up at event after event at a time when many Pennsylvania liberals don’t think the incumbent they helped elect has done so, and he’s vocally criticized the Trump administration at a time when Fetterman has been more restrained about going after a president loathed by the left.
[...]
In the meantime, Lamb continues to show up at town halls to take questions and to take advantage of his progressive glow up as well. “My wife told me that people are born with different purposes in this life,” he said, “and she thinks that my purpose may be to do town halls, whether I’m in office or not.”
Top Pennsylvania Democrats are quietly gearing up for a political showdown three years out. According to a new report, party officials are l
Alex Samuels at Daily Kos:
Top Pennsylvania Democrats are quietly gearing up for a political showdown three years out.
According to a new report, party officials are laying the groundwork to challenge Sen. John Fetterman in a 2028 primary, frustrated by his increasingly public break with the party line.
If the effort to unseat him takes shape, several familiar names could be waiting in the wings. Democratic Reps. Brendan Boyle, Chris Deluzio, and former Rep. Conor Lamb are considered potential challengers, Axios reports. All three declined to rule out a run.
Lamb and Boyle, in particular, have been openly critical of Fetterman in recent months—an early sign of how fissures in Pennsylvania’s Democratic establishment could harden into something more serious.
It’s unclear whether Fetterman—widely believed to harbor presidential ambitions—will seek another Senate term or mount a White House run in 2028.
But his national profile hasn’t shielded him from a noticeable drop in support at home. A September Quinnipiac poll found that 54% of Pennsylvania Democrats disapprove of how he’s handling his job, compared to just 33% who approve. That’s a dramatic slide from January 2024, when his approval among Democrats sat at 80%.
Fetterman brushed off the chatter.
“Enjoy your clickbait!” he texted Axios, adding “please do not contact” in response to follow-ups. He also reportedly shared an article describing him as one of “the least Trump-aligned Democratic lawmakers” in the state.
Frustration inside the party continues to simmer. Boyle has called Fetterman “Trump’s favorite Democrat,” while Lamb has questioned his strategy, reviving a rivalry from their bruising 2022 primary. Party strategists privately warn that Fetterman’s alignment with Trump makes him vulnerable in a Democratic primary.
The tension has been building for months. Democrats were furious when Fetterman met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago ahead of his inauguration, a move that raised eyebrows even among some allies. He later said on ABC’s “The View” that Trump’s conviction of 34 felonies in New York was “politically motivated,” echoing right-wing rhetoric.
Since then, he’s praised the Trump administration’s foreign policy and border security agenda—particularly on Iran and Israel—and he’s played down Democratic criticism of Trump’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
I cannot wait to have this pathetic weasel of a “Democrat” ousted in 2028 in the Democratic Primary. #PASen
Conor Lamb: “My opponent is clearly a socialist - I on the other hand am a ‘normal’ Democrat, so you can count on me to win against a MAGA republican for US Senate!"
Electoral politics is extremely fucking lame but I'm so proud of PA for JEB! wiping the entire state for John Fetterman in the Dem Primaries instead of the Democratic plant that was like "Waaaaah Socialism is BAD".
With any luck Fetterman will be the most likely candidate best suited to take Bernie's baton.
The truth will win out! Conor Lamb speaks the truth on the attempted insurrection of against the Pennsylvania vote to certify Joe Biden as president. His statement was given early in the morning, January 7, 2021.
