HARRISBURG (AP) – PA U.S. Sen. John Fetterman, the Democrat known for his unconventional brand of politics, is in the news again after an apparent blowup at a closed-door meeting with teachers union allies and former staff aides who aired concerns about his mental health. Fetterman’s life and political career have been upended the past three years with medical scares, including a stroke he suffered on 2022’s campaign trail and a six-week hospital stay for clinical depression in 2023. Fetterman’s victory in 2022’s Senate race flipped a GOP seat and helped Democrats hold the U.S. Senate majority. He ran as a hero to progressives. But as a senator, he’s made a rightward shift on some issues. He has fallen out with progressives over his staunch support of Israel in its war in Gaza and drawn anger from rank-and-file Democrats for arguing that his party needs to work with, not against, President Trump.
SEN. JOHN FETTERMAN