Pennsylvania’s senior senator, John Fetterman, is taking an unconventional path by aligning himself with some of Donald Trump’s policies, diverging from the typical Democratic stance.

This strategy could potentially lead to a significant primary challenge for Fetterman in 2028, the next time he is up for reelection.

Names being considered as possible contenders against Fetterman in the Democratic primary include Congressmen Brendan Boyle and Chris Deluzio, along with former Representative Conor Lamb, according to a report by Axios.

In response to questions from an Axios reporter about these potential challengers, Fetterman quipped, “Enjoy your clickbait!” and added, “Please do not contact.”

Despite the speculation, Fetterman appears unfazed by the idea of facing a challenger. Axios also reports that he has long harbored aspirations of running for president, according to those familiar with his ambitions.

In a recent appearance on Fox News, Fetterman expressed “absolute elation” over the peace agreement that the president brokered last week between Israel and Hamas, during an interview with Sunday Morning Futures host Maria Bartiromo.

Fetterman also noted that legislating and speaking in the Senate based on his political views which don’t fall in line with most of his Democrat colleagues has ‘been very isolating.’

Regardless of what ‘the base might want … I think it’s the right thing … my kinds of positions are reasonable, because I’m not going to follow just the party line. I’m going to think, hey, independently,’ Fetterman also told Bartiromo.

U.S. Senator John Fetterman during the sixth installment of The Senate Project moderated by FOX NEWS anchor Shannon Bream at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate on June 2, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts

Democratic presidential nominee, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris takes a selfie with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) and his wife Gisele Barreto Fetterman (R) after greeting supporters at John Murtha Johnstown-Cambria Airport on September 13, 2024 in Johnstown, Pennsylvania

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Penn., left, and Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Penn., right, display hoodies presented by the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate after participating in a debate Monday, June 2, 2025, at the at the institute, Monday, June 2, 2025, in Boston

Senator John Fetterman, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, arrives for a campaign event with US Vice President Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, governor of Minnesota and Democratic vice-presidential nominee, not pictured, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, on Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2024

Fetterman has been unafraid of bucking his party’s status quo during his tenure in Congress, and another a wide-ranging conversation with CNN’s Manu Raju shared last month was no exception.

At the time, Fetterman touched on many issues plaguing his party, including their very vocal opposition to Trump, which has included comparing him to the former dictator of Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler.

‘I think you just don’t ever, ever compare anyone to Hitler and those kinds of extreme things,’ Fetterman noted, also adding that Trump was ‘not an autocrat.’

‘Now, look what happened to Charlie Kirk. I mean, you know, the man was shot. Now, we have to turn the temperature down,’ the Pennsylvania senator added, referencing the assassination of the Turning Point USA founder and conservative activist who was killed last month during a speaking tour stop at Utah Valley University.

‘We can’t compare people to these kinds of figures in history. And this is not an autocrat. This is a product of a democratic election,’ Fetterman added.

On a DailyMail+ Power List of top Democrats released this summer, Fetterman was the second most popular person, coming seventh right behind Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders who ranked sixth.

The top five names on the Democrat list were all celebrities. 

Fetterman is additionally butting heads with top leaders in his party over the ongoing federal government shutdown. 

He was one of three non-Republicans to vote for the GOP’s funding package before the shutdown and has not shied away from pointing the finger at fellow Democrats for the shutdown.

‘Shutting the government is really what the Democratic Party wants to do… [Obamacare subsidies were] designed by the Democratic Party to expire … This is not something taken by the Republicans,’ Fetterman shared during a NewsNation town hall that took place at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday. 

Fetterman won his 2022 general election against Mehmet Oz with 51.17 percent of the vote after beating Lamb by over a 2:1 margin, raking in 58.6 percent of the vote to Lamb’s 26.3 percent.

Asked by reporter Tara Palmeri about his party’s ability to win back White men like himself, Fetterman shared that the prognosis was weak.

‘I don’t know. And truthfully, I’m not sure if that’s possible, to be honest,’ Fetterman replied.