Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman didn’t hold back. He admitted his party’s brand has become "toxic" after years of "shaming and scolding" voters. Now, he’s not sure if they can fix it.
On the "Somebody’s Gotta Win" podcast, host Tara Palmeri asked about the party’s damaged image. Even insiders acknowledge the fallout from the 2024 election. Fetterman agreed—Democrats did it to themselves.
He said they spent too much time attacking opponents. "I think their primary currency was shaming and scolding and talking down to people," Fetterman said. "And then, by the way, they’re fascists. How can you vote for that?"
He didn’t stop there. "And you know, when you’re in a state like Pennsylvania, I know and I love people that voted for Trump, and they’re not fascist," he said. Calling them that pushed voters away. "If you go to an extreme... then you’re going to lose the argument. And we have done that."
Fetterman said the 2024 election wasn’t about policy. It was about identity. Voters asked themselves who would "protect or project [their] personal view of the American way of life." That mattered more than anything else.
He also admitted the party struggles with male voters. "I think that’s been seriously eroding for a while," he said. Many men feel blamed. "Men are to blame. Or their masculinity is toxic." He said they felt pushed out and found an alternative.
Losing them may be permanent. "And once [they’ve] kind of turned their back on that demographic, it’s going to be difficult to rebuild," he warned. The shift had been happening for years. The 2024 election made it clear.
Since then, Fetterman has criticized Democrats for ignoring key issues. He’s especially vocal about the border crisis. "Well, one area where we kind of lost ourselves was the border," he told "Fox News Sunday." He argued his party denied reality. "When we ask or demand people to not believe what they see… well, then you lose about that 100%."