Editorial: So Fetterman's not a progressive?

John Fetterman, the Democratic U.S. senator from Braddock, says he isn’t a progressive.

That might seem like a surprise to a lot of people. We are talking about the most unconventional legislator in the Senate. This is a man who caused an uproar with his wardrobe of shorts and hoodies that was the talk of political media and legislative hallways for weeks.

Fetterman famously flew flags supporting marijuana legalization and LGBTQ pride from the balcony outside his office while serving as Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor, even after state lawmakers made it illegal.

He supports universal health care coverage. He said every Pennsylvania senator who voted against a $15-per-hour minimum wage should be forced to live on the state and federal $7.25 per hour rate. He has walked picket lines with union members from Pittsburgh to Michigan. He’s unambivalently pro-choice.

If Fetterman is not a progressive, he does a great impression of one. Indeed, it’s hard to find many examples of where he breaks with that wing of the Democratic Party.

Or at least it used to be.

Since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, there has been quite a bit of daylight between Fetterman and those on his left. He is also seeing more centrist positions on border policy.

“I’m not a progressive,” he told NBC News. “I just think I’m a Democrat that is very committed to choice and other things. But with Israel, I’m going to be on the right side of that. And immigration is something near and dear to me, and I think we do have to effectively address it as well.”

Anyone, including elected officials, should be able to change their positions over time or clarify their positions in the face of specific events. The ability to say “this is where I stand” can be an act of bravery when it goes against the grain of the political party that got you where you are.

But this has the potential to be a make-or-break moment for Fetterman as some former supporters could question what they thought they were getting in the 2022 election. It also could make him the Senate’s new wild card, as Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., retires and Arizona’s Sen. Kyrsten Sinema is now an independent after leaving the Democrats.

Does that give Pennsylvania more power? Those other senators were courted for their unsteady votes. Fetterman seems less swayable, but on the right issue, who knows?