Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is deeply unpopular with Democrats in his own state while winning high marks from Republicans, a new Quinnipiac poll finds.
A Quinnipiac University survey of likely Pennsylvania voters puts the Democratic senator underwater with his own party and better liked by Republicans than by the voters who put him in office.
USA TODAY reported that only 13% of Democrats hold a favorable view of Fetterman, while 69% view him unfavorably. Among Republicans, 72% view him favorably and just 19% unfavorably. Independents lean hard the other way as well, with 49% unfavorable.
Overall, 37% of respondents said they view Fetterman favorably, 46% unfavorably, and 16% said they had not heard enough. Respondents also gave him a 50% job disapproval rating.
The numbers land in a familiar place for a senator who has repeatedly broken with Democratic leaders on votes, stood firm on Israel, and shown up on Fox News and at a Republican midterm convention, moves that have drawn scorn inside his own party.
Quinnipiac fielded the poll of 1,159 Pennsylvania likely voters from Oct. 1 through Oct. 5. The margin of error is plus or minus 3.9%. It is the first Quinnipiac survey of likely voters in the state for the 2026 cycle, and the release came Oct. 7.
An August survey from The New York Times, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and Siena University pointed the same direction. In that poll, 79% of self-identified Republicans viewed Fetterman favorably, while only 20% of self-identified Democrats backed him.
Party loyalty usually runs one way in modern politics. Here it runs the other. Pennsylvania Democrats are the ones souring on a Democrat. Pennsylvania Republicans are the ones giving him credit.
The article tied that backlash to concrete choices: breaks with the Senate Democratic caucus on some votes, strong support for Israel, Fox News appearances, and a turn at the Republican midterm convention. Those are not vague vibes. They are public acts that left-wing activists and caucus enforcers treat as betrayal.
The same Quinnipiac survey shows a split ticket inside Pennsylvania’s Democratic bench.
Incumbent Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro held 59% support among likely voters in the governor’s race. Republican challenger Stacy Garrity sat at 34%. Respondents gave Shapiro a 63% job approval rating.
Shapiro is popular. Fetterman is not. Same state. Same party brand. Different willingness to cross the progressive line on Israel, media, and caucus discipline.
Pennsylvania likely voters also gave President Donald Trump a 60% disapproval rating in the survey. Trump carried the state in 2024 by 1.4%. The gap between presidential disapproval and statewide results is a reminder that raw job numbers do not always settle the next election.
Fetterman’s standing with Pennsylvania voters has been shaky before. A June 2023 Quinnipiac survey, covered by the New York Post, found 50% of Pennsylvania voters disapproved of his job performance and 39% approved, matching then-President Joe Biden’s weak footing in the state while Sen. Bob Casey and Gov. Josh Shapiro posted stronger net ratings.
That earlier stretch came after a brutal 2022 campaign, a stroke before the primary, and later treatment for clinical depression at Walter Reed. Fetterman described the toll in plain terms.
"It was after the brutality of the campaign. Some people believe that it was one of the most vicious political campaigns."
He said that to KDKA-TV in May 2023. The health fight was real. The later political fight is different. The new Quinnipiac numbers measure favor and party loyalty in 2026, not medical recovery.
Quinnipiac asked about another live fight in Pennsylvania: AI data centers. More than 60% of respondents said the centers would do more harm than good.
Eighty percent of Democrats said harm outweighs good. Independents came in at 72% on the harm side. Republicans split closer, with 44% saying more good and 40% saying more harm.
That is a separate issue from Fetterman’s favorability. It still fits the larger picture: Pennsylvania voters are not rubber-stamping elite projects or elite excuses. They are sorting winners and losers by results and by who sounds like them.
Democratic activists wanted a reliable vote and a reliable message. Fetterman has given them neither on every fight. He has backed Israel when much of the left turned hostile. He has appeared on Fox News when the party prefers a narrower media lane. He has shown up in Republican-facing settings and broken with the caucus on some votes.
The Quinnipiac crosstabs reward that pattern with Republican favor and punish it with Democratic rejection. Thirteen percent favorable inside his own party is not a rounding error. Sixty-nine percent unfavorable is a verdict.
Shapiro’s strong numbers show Pennsylvania Democrats can still back a statewide Democrat when the brand fits. Fetterman’s collapse with the same voters shows the price of dissent when the dissent runs against progressive priorities.
Republicans do not owe Fetterman a political home. They are simply registering what they see: a Democrat willing to break with his caucus when the base demands lockstep. Democrats are registering the opposite and freezing him out.
For taxpayers and lawful voters who want officials to put country, allies, and common sense ahead of caucus pressure, the poll is a clean data point. Party machines punish independence. Voters outside the machine notice.
Pennsylvania Democrats wanted a senator who never wandered off the reservation. They got one who did, and they are telling pollsters exactly how they feel about it.
