I'm a conservative. I want a whole lot more John Fettermans. | Opinion

At a time when the country’s political parties are moving ever further to the extremes, and hysteria marks much of our discourse, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is a breath of fresh air. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know. He’s a Democrat. 

But in the past few years, Fetterman has defied current political trends and prioritized what he thinks is best for the country ahead of partisan tribalism. 

Take, for instance, his nuanced stance on what’s going on in Minneapolis and the Trump administration’s efforts to deport illegal aliens. After two American citizens were killed this month by federal immigration officers, the U.S. senator has demanded consequences. 

In a social media post directed to President Donald Trump, Fetterman appealed to the president to fire Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who Fetterman said was “trashing” Trump’s legacy on border security and immigration. 

Unlike many of his fellow Democrats, however, who have called for abolishing the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency and have threatened DHS funding and another government shutdown unless their demands are met, Fetterman has said that he doesn’t want to hold government funding hostage and that he doesn’t want ICE or DHS obliterated. 

“We must find a way forward and I remain committed to being a voice of reason and common sense,” Fetterman said in a statement. 

Imagine that. 

Turns out voters, including Republicans, like what they're seeing from Fetterman 

Fetterman understands that two things can be true at the same time: Voters chose Trump in large part because they wanted him to bring order to the border, and many of these same voters are concerned that two Americans died at the hands of federal agents. 

“President Biden did a terrible job, and our border was effectively open at that point,” Fetterman said in a recent interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity. “America deserves a secure border. I don’t know why every American can’t agree with that thing. Another thing it's the truth that we should all agree to deport all of the criminals that are here in our nation right now. ... I do have to give credit to the president for securing our border ... and arrest all the criminals. ... And the tragedy that happened, and we’ve lost two American citizens. I don’t think anyone in America wants that.”

The senator has no problem saying when he agrees with Trump and Republicans – and when he doesn’t. This simple honesty drives many in his party nuts, but it’s won him fans across the aisle.

According to a new Morning Consult survey of America’s 100 senators, Fetterman’s approval rating in his state has improved: It now stands at 51%, which is higher than when Trump took office. 

What is even more interesting is where this support is coming from. Since the end of 2024, Fetterman’s approval among Democrats has decreased to 48% from 72%. Among Republicans, his rating has climbed to 59% from 27%.

Morning Consult refers to this as “severe bipartisan backing.” 

And it’s super refreshing. 

More Americans are identifying as independents. They want something different. 

All around America, voters are growing dissatisfied with both the Republican and Democratic Parties. A January Gallup poll found a record high (45%) of U.S. adults identified as political independents in 2025. Those identifying as Republicans and Democrats each clocked in at 27%.

While it’s been standard for independents to be the largest political group, Gallup states the percentage “has increased markedly in the past 15 years.”

This signals Americans aren’t finding a home in the rhetoric of either major party. Voters would rather their elected leaders get things done that will benefit the country. 

Democrats who obsess about how much they hate Trump and plot how they want to try to get rid of him, whether through the 25th Amendment (which they conveniently forgot about when former President Joe Biden was clearly unable to do the job) or impeachment, risk alienating a lot of these self-identified independents. 

Enter Fetterman, who offers a much different approach. 

“That is why I don’t have these daily freak-outs online, and I’ve found that people appreciate me just being honest,” the senator recently told conservative columnist Salena Zito.

To that, I say, more John Fettermans, please. 

Ingrid Jacques is a columnist at USA TODAY. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @Ingrid_Jacques