Sen. John Fetterman has faced a tide of public criticism from fellow Democrats as he stakes out lonely ground as a critic of the far-left wing of his party — and another wave rolled in Wednesday after he made a surprise video appearance at the Republican midterm convention.
So far, however, his Senate colleagues haven't joined the pile-on.
Democratic senators are staying above the fray as they work to flip the majority in November amid constant speculation that the 57-year-old Pennsylvanian could trigger a nightmare scenario by leaving the party and caucusing with the GOP.
Some have worked to publicly bat down suggestions that Fetterman could abandon Democrats for the final two years of his term — something he has denied considering, even as he continues to raise eyebrows with his outspoken support of Israel, bashing of democratic socialists and close relationships with Senate Republicans.
"John Fetterman is a friend and an important member of our caucus. It's a waste of energy to get spun up about his voting record or place in our party — he votes with us 90 percent of the time," Democratic Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, who is close with Fetterman, said in a statement to POLITICO before the convention appearance. "We need a big tent if we're going to win in November."

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