John Fetterman may have lost his grip on the Democrat Party base, even as politicians from both sides of the aisle have come to his defense following a series of stories about his mental health.
A blockbuster New York Magazine feature painted the Pennsylvania Senator as not well and behaving erratically since being treated for depression.
Further tales have been published since, including an old video of Fetterman behaving poorly on a plane and driving a staffer to tears with an outburst during a meeting with union representatives.
None of this may be as much of a problem for Fetterman as what appear to be declining internal poll numbers among Pittsburgh’s Democrats, close to where Fetterman lives in Braddock.
The Senator, who doesn’t face re-election until 2028, is viewed favorably by 46 percent of likely Democrat voters in the Keystone State.
Worse, 49 percent of Pittsburgh Democrats view him unfavorably, a rare case of voters from either party viewing their own negatively.
By comparison, Democrat Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is viewed favorably by 82 percent of those same Democrats, against just 13 percent seeing him unfavorably.
‘In Pittsburgh, this is a break-glass, freak-out moment for Fetterman,’ one Democrat strategist told Politico.
John Fetterman may have lost his grip on the Democrat Party base, even as politicians from both sides of the aisle have come to his defense following a series of stories about his mental health
A blockbuster New York Magazine feature painted the Pennsylvania Senator as not well and behaving erratically since being treated for depression
The poll was taken by a Democrat firm that was trying to poll the upcoming Pittsburgh mayoral race.
Fetterman won the 2022 Democrat Primary in Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located, by 25 points.
Perhaps the most damning factor of the poll is it was taken in mid-February, long before this series of stories was released.
Multiple recent polls show Fetterman’s popularity remains fairly high in Pennsylvania at large.
He’s also received the backing of several of his Congressional colleagues through the media blitz.
‘The media ought to lay off Senator Fetterman,’ wrote Republican Senator Chuck Grassley.
Katie Britt of Alabama called Fetterman ‘a tremendous friend and colleague’ and called the stories published ‘a complete disgrace’ from ‘agenda-driven members of the media.
Both Democrat Congressman Ritchie Torres and Republican Senator Tom Cotton singled out Fetterman’s support of Israel as reasoning for the attacks.
Fetterman won the 2022 Democrat Primary in Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located, by 25 points
However, its clear that these stories have Fetterman preparing for the fight of his political life.
A report by New York Magazine citing several individuals who made concerning accusations against him and claimed he was not taking his medication.
Only one staffer was willing to go public with the claims and Fetterman has denied them.
Some of the anonymous staffers shared marital strife and political disagreements with his wife Gisele.
Former Chief of Staff Adam Jentleson is the most public face of the story, titled ‘The Hidden Struggle of John Fetterman.’
One year after Fetterman’s release from the traumatic-brain-injury and neuropsychiatry unit at Walter Reed Hospital, Jentleson wrote a letter the division’s director who treated Fetterman there.
‘I think John is on a bad trajectory and I’m really worried about him,’ Jentleson wrote in the 1,600-word email with the subject line: ‘Concerns.’
He added that the senator ‘won’t be with us for much longer’ if he doesn’t change his behavior, with Jentleson claiming these are ‘the things you said to flag, so I am flagging.’
One of the things he was told to flag: that Fetterman purchased a gun, though Jentleson admits the senator ‘takes all the necessary precautions, and living where he does I understand the desire for personal protection.’
Jentleson is referring to the hard-scrabble small town of Braddock where Fetterman served as mayor and still lives.
Fetterman is accused of everything from the physical – ‘not taking his meds’ to eating fast-food multiple times a day – to the mental – lying, ‘self-centered monologues,’ ‘conspiratorial thinking; megalomania’ – among his issues.
The senator is also allegedly obsessed with social media despite admitting it was an ‘accelerant’ of his depression and driving ‘recklessly’ to the point that staffers refused to ride with him and a police officer said it was ‘a miracle no one died’ after one accident last June.
Jentleson also argued that ‘every person who was supposed to help him stay on his recovery plan has been pushed out.’
The former chief of staff later said in an interview a year after writing the letter that he’s telling his side of the story because he believes Fetterman’s trajectory has taken him out of consideration to lead the Democrats going forward.
‘Part of the tragedy here is that this is a man who could be leading Democrats out of the wilderness but I also think he’s struggling in a way that shouldn’t be hidden from the public.’
Fetterman’s campaign is also reportedly bleeding money and losing small-dollar donors ever since he met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
