Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., reportedly turned to a Republican-aligned fundraising firm to help build a new base of conservative donors, with participating right-leaning groups offered as much as 75% of an initial donation generated through his appeals.
The arrangement was laid out Wednesday by The Atlantic, which obtained private messages showing Blitz Digital Group pitching Fetterman fundraising copy to conservative political organizations.
“I thought you would be interested in this high performing Fetterman copy,” Blitz account associate Leah Mergener wrote in one message obtained by the magazine. “It has been doing crazy numbers for us.”
The appeal, which carried the Democratic senator’s signature, was reportedly aimed at voters sympathetic to President Donald Trump. Its subject line read: “I’m always going to reject Socialism and the anti-American way of life.”
According to The Atlantic, donations moved through Anedot, a payment-processing firm used by Republicans.
Blitz offered conservative organizations that circulated the solicitation what it described as a “75% split.” One Republican consultant told The Atlantic that the split applied specifically to a donor’s first contribution, serving as a commission. Fetterman’s campaign, in turn, would obtain the donor’s contact information for future fundraising.
Neither Blitz nor Fetterman’s campaign responded to the magazine’s requests for comment.
The Atlantic identified Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, as one MAGA Republican lawmaker who circulated Fetterman’s appeal, using it to float the possibility of the Pennsylvania Democrat switching parties.
“I just got an email from John. He’s basically a Republican now,” Lee wrote in a solicitation obtained by The Atlantic. “I need your help to draft him.”
The fundraising move comes after months of scrutiny over Fetterman’s closeness to Republicans.
According to The Atlantic, Fetterman’s relationship with Democratic digital fundraising firm MissionWired ended in June. He later formed a joint fundraising committee with Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa.
In September, Fetterman also delivered a recorded address focused on rejecting socialism at Trump’s midterm convention in Dallas.
Despite those moves, Fetterman has repeatedly shot down suggestions that he plans to formally join the GOP.
His relationship with the most progressive wing of his party, however, has grown increasingly strained over Israel and the Iran war.
The latest report adds to a string of developments that have placed the Pennsylvania senator at odds with many in his own party. From parting ways with a Democratic fundraising firm to teaming up with a Republican colleague on a joint committee, Fetterman has shown a willingness to work across the aisle in ways that have drawn attention from both sides.
The fundraising pitch itself leaned heavily into themes that resonate with conservative voters, with its subject line vowing to reject socialism. According to the messages obtained by The Atlantic, the copy was performing strongly, with a Blitz associate touting its “crazy numbers.”
Republicans like Lee have seized on the moment to suggest Fetterman is effectively one of them. Fetterman, for his part, has so far insisted he is not leaving the Democratic Party, even as speculation about his political future continues to grow.
