‘I’m not going to be a Republican!’: John Fetterman’s fundraising shifts toward GOP groups

WASHINGTON, DC: Senator John Fetterman (D-PA) has emphatically rejected becoming a Republican as his political operation works with GOP-aligned ‘Blitz Digital Group’ to reach conservative donors through new fundraising appeals, as per the report.

Conservative political groups are circulating Fetterman’s fundraising appeals to their donor lists, with 75% of each recipient’s first donation going to the group that sent the appeal.

Fetterman’s rejection came after ‘MissionWired’ ended its engagement with his campaign in June and his political operation began working with Republican-aligned Blitz Digital Group, as per the report by the Atlantic published Wednesday, September 30.

Blitz Digital Group pitches Fetterman appeals to conservative donors

Fetterman’s fundraising message was signed by him and used language aimed at Trump-aligned donors, according to the report.

Its subject line read, “I’m always going to reject Socialism and the anti-American way of life,” and warned that socialists were “hijacking the Democratic party.”

Leah Mergener, an account associate at Blitz Digital Group, described the arrangement in a private message as a “high-performing Fetterman copy” that had been “doing crazy numbers.” 

She wrote, “We are offering it a 75% split,” referring to the share of a recipient’s first donation that would go to the conservative group that sent the appeal.

The Republican fundraising consultant who explained the arrangement said Fetterman would benefit by gaining contact information from new donors for a future fundraising list, according to the report.

The arrangement followed the end of the Pennsylvania Democrat's relationship with ‘MissionWired,’ a Democratic-aligned digital fundraising firm, in June. 

“We had no involvement in a revenue-sharing plan with Republican entities,” MissionWired CEO Kate Kline said.

Mike Lee seizes on Fetterman’s conservative fundraising pitch

Republican Senator Mike Lee of Utah forwarded Fetterman’s appeal to his own fundraising list and used it to solicit support for a petition urging Fetterman to switch parties, the report said.

“He’s basically a Republican now,” Lee wrote.

The fundraising shift also follows Fetterman’s September 9 recorded address at Trump’s midterm convention in Dallas, where he rejected socialism. 

Days later, his political operation began working with the Republican-aligned firm on emails and text messages to acquire conservative donors.

Fetterman’s appeals were circulated by more than a dozen political operations, according to records collected by the Archive of Political Emails.

Fetterman has said he has no interest in becoming a Republican, pointing to his positions on abortion rights and other liberal issues. 

“I’m not going to be a Republican!” he shouted recently while answering questions from reporters on Capitol Hill.

Fetterman’s fundraising message marks a sharp change

As recently as June, Fetterman’s fundraising messages sought to help Democrats retain the Senate and warned about Trump and Republicans, as per the report.

On June 30, he wrote, “At a time like this, it’s crucial we hit our goals and keep up the pressure on Trump and extremist Republicans.”

His current political positioning has drawn opposing reactions from both parties. 

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he had discussed Fetterman’s difficulties in the Democratic caucus and added, “If he ever comes to the conclusion that he’s ready to move, we would certainly welcome it.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats “very much like him and respect him” and that the party could accommodate his views.

Fetterman has attributed his estrangement from Democrats to his support for Israel and the war against Iran, as well as his decision to vote to fund parts of the government earlier this year. 

“I can’t explain it. I mean, I haven’t changed my views,” he said at the 'Texas Tribune Festival'.