A Wall Street Journal exposé detailing Sen. John Fetterman's reluctance to perform basic duties has triggered open revolt from fellow Pennsylvania Democrats, with at least three elected officials publicly calling for his ouster in 2028.

Rep. Chris Deluzio, Rep. Brendan Boyle, and Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, the vice chair of the Democratic National Committee, each took to social media to condemn the Democratic senator after the Journal published leaked text messages between Fetterman and his aides. The texts showed Fetterman dismissing requests to meet with representatives from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and describing a funeral for slain police officers as a "nonstarter," Fox News Digital reported.

The fallout marks the sharpest intra-party attack Fetterman has faced since winning his Senate seat in 2022, and it lands as polling data shows his support among Democrats has collapsed while his standing with Republicans has surged.

Leaked texts show Fetterman brushing off a children's hospital and a police funeral

The Wall Street Journal report, which drew on leaked text exchanges between Fetterman and his staff, painted a picture of a senator uninterested in the routine work of the office. When an aide informed Fetterman that representatives from Children's Hospital of Philadelphia wanted to meet over concerns about Medicaid cuts and vaccines, Fetterman replied dismissively.

"Well, I'm not. I'm convinced they just want free trips to D.C."

A separate exchange showed an aide flagging a funeral for three police officers killed in Pennsylvania. The aide noted the event was expected to last three hours and required a dress code. Fetterman's response: "This may be a nonstarter."

The Journal's reporting also described Fetterman as a senator more focused on appearing on Fox News to discuss Israel than on meeting with paralyzed veterans from his own state. Fetterman did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the report.

Deluzio accuses Fetterman of having 'no sense of duty'

Deluzio, a Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania, did not hold back. In a post on X, he called the report a confirmation of what many in the state already suspected.

"There is a lot I could say about this report of John Fetterman's pathetic behavior as a senator. But between the laziness, disrespect, and willingness to carry water for a foreign government, it shows us something we already know: this man has no sense of duty."

Deluzio added a direct threat: "He is not up for the high office he was elected to, and we in Pennsylvania will do something about it in 2028."

Boyle was blunter. "John Fetterman is a disgrace," the Pennsylvania congressman wrote on X. "Our state deserves better than a lazy trust fund baby who is too lazy to do the job."

Kenyatta, who holds a leadership post at the DNC, went further still, arguing the pattern predated Fetterman's time in the Senate. Fetterman had previously drawn sharp lines on Israel that put him at odds with the progressive wing of his party.

"This report is horrifying, but not new to many of us in PA. John barely showed up as [Lieutenant Governor] and is constantly MIA as our senator. When he's not on FOX cheerleading Trump & endless wars, he is attacking the very neighbors who gave him a chance. 2028 can't come soon enough."

Three elected Democrats from the same state, all publicly signaling they want to replace a sitting senator from their own party, that is not a policy disagreement. That is a coordinated political message.

Fetterman's Democratic support has cratered to 22 percent

The backlash did not materialize overnight. Fetterman has steadily broken with Democrats on a series of high-profile votes and positions since taking office. He joined Republicans during a government shutdown fight while Democrats stayed unified behind renewing lapsing Obamacare tax credits. He voted to confirm Markwayne Mullin as Department of Homeland Security secretary. He became one of the most vocal proponents of Israel in the Senate. And he has sided with Trump on issues like data centers and the AI race, arguing that winning mattered more than party loyalty.

The political cost of those breaks is now measurable. A poll cited by Fox News found that only 22 percent of Pennsylvania registered Democrats now view Fetterman favorably, down from 74 percent two years ago. Among Pennsylvania Republicans, his favorability has climbed to 73 percent, up from 25 percent in 2024.

Those numbers represent one of the most dramatic partisan realignments for a sitting senator in recent memory. Fetterman rose to prominence as a progressive who backed Bernie Sanders early in his presidential runs. He defeated Dr. Mehmet Oz, who now runs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, in the 2022 race. But the populist progressive brand that won him the seat has been replaced by something his former allies no longer recognize.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune has confirmed that Republicans have had conversations with Fetterman about switching parties. "There are many of us who, I think, would welcome the opportunity to have him join the Republican conference, but ultimately that's a decision that's up to him," Thune said. Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville has said he has "no doubt" Fetterman will eventually leave the party.

Fetterman insists he won't join the GOP, but his party isn't waiting

For his part, Fetterman told NBC News he has no intentions of joining the Republican Party. He has previously stated that the one issue that could push him out would be if Democrats officially became "the anti-Israel party."

"If our party ever becomes, and just makes it official, the anti-Israel party, that's when I would leave because that's been a moral clarity for me."

But the question facing Fetterman may no longer be whether he wants to leave. It may be whether his party wants him to stay. Deluzio's pledge to "do something about it in 2028" reads as a clear signal that a primary challenge is coming. Kenyatta, who holds a DNC leadership role and has his sights set on Fetterman's seat, appears to be positioning himself as the alternative.

Fetterman has also broken with Democrats on AI policy, warning that an American retreat would hand China the advantage. Each break has widened the gap between the senator and the coalition that elected him. He voted against confirming Dr. Oz but voted to confirm Mullin, a split that satisfied neither side fully.

The leaked texts, though, cut deeper than any policy vote. Dismissing a children's hospital as a group looking for "free trips to D.C." and treating a funeral for fallen officers as an inconvenience, those are not ideological disagreements. They suggest a senator who has lost interest in the basic work of representing the people who sent him to Washington.

Fetterman's critics within the Democratic Party have not alleged corruption or lawbreaking. Their charge is simpler and, in some ways, harder to answer: he is not doing the job. The texts, if accurate, support that charge in Fetterman's own words.

Whether Fetterman eventually switches parties, faces a primary, or simply rides out his term, the damage within his own caucus looks irreversible. When three of your state's elected Democrats call you a disgrace and promise to replace you, and your own polling shows you're more popular with the other party's voters, the question isn't whether you've left your party. It's whether your party has already left you.

Voters in Pennsylvania elected Fetterman to represent them, not to collect a title. If the leaked texts reflect how he views that obligation, his colleagues are right to say 2028 can't come soon enough.