(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) Only three states — Maine, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — have both a Republican and a Democrat-adjacent senator currently representing them in Congress.
Of those, it may be safe to say that only Pennsylvania has a split senatorial delegation that genuinely gets along.
Centrist Republican David McCormick and centrist Democrat John Fetterman recently reaffirmed that bipartisan cooperation by announcing a joint fundraising operation, Common Ground PA.
The organization officially filed its paperwork last week, as reported by the Center Square.
“This would seem to be a very intriguing development, and a further sign of the close coordination on not just policy, but now political issues between Senators McCormick and Fetterman,” said Christopher Nicholas, a GOP consultant and Pennsylvania politico.
While the reaction from the Right may have been one of interest and encouragement, those on the Left seem less thrilled.
Fox News’s resident left-wing shill, Jessica Tarlov, characterized the development as “So so bad.”
So so bad https://t.co/6aHrq6qj3p
— Jessica Tarlov (@JessicaTarlov) July 9, 2026
Rick Wilson, the NeverTrump cofounder of the notorious Lincoln Project, said the collaboration offered the greatest indication that Fetterman felt out of place among the radical leftist element that has captured the Democratic base.
“He’s gonna flip,” said Wilson, who himself previously identified as a Republican and was a campaign staffer for President George H.W. Bush.
He's gonna flip. https://t.co/wwJVz0GHlk
— Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) July 9, 2026
An article on Mediaite compiled those and several other reactions that seemed to be anticipating a party switch.
Fetterman keeps saying he’d be a terrible Republican, incompatible with most GOP hot button issues, but then there once was a man who said “I didn’t leave the Democratic Party, the Democratic Party left me.” That man got pretty high up in politics after that – as a Republican. https://t.co/4sxj8OSLbN
— Rasmussen Reports (@Rasmussen_Poll) July 9, 2026
In recent months, Fetterman has been increasingly critical of the fringe Left, becoming one of the few Democrats to denounce alleged Nazi rapist Graham Platner before the erstwhile Maine senatorial candidate began losing ground in the polls.
Fetterman has, in particular, been a staunch supporter of the Trump administration’s war with Iran and ongoing alliance with Israel.
He and McCormick recently teamed up to bring sponsors to Pennsylvania’s exhibit at the Great American State Fair after the state’s Democrat governor, Josh Shapiro, signaled his intention to boycott the “America 250” event at Washington, D.C.’s National Mall.
Despite the growing rift with his own party, Fetterman has previously dismissed the idea of a party switch.
“I’m the Senator for all Pennsylvanians—not just Democrats in Pennsylvania,” Fetterman said following a January 2025 meeting with incoming President Donald Trump.
“I’ve been clear that no one is my gatekeeper,” he continued. “I will meet with and have a conversation with anyone if it helps me deliver for Pennsylvania and the nation.”
Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.
