Editor: I’d like to request the money back that I spent on a pink Fetterman T-shirt. Can I also get compensation for emotional pain and distress?
What the hell happened to John Fetterman? I have 2 possible theories.
I’m a Pennsylvania resident and prior to running for Senate, Fetterman was our Lieutenant Governor. I saw him on MSNBC often, attacking Donald Trump and the Republicans. I loved the guy! So the theory that he faked being a Progressive during the campaign is false. So why did he make such an abrupt change then?
One possibility is AIPAC and money in politics corrupted him quickly when he arrived in D.C. While possible, I don’t think it would’ve happened that fast.
I had a stroke in 2016, and it changed different behaviors and personality traits of mine, but it didn’t affect my beliefs or values. I’ve seen it drastically change the personality of men, usually causing them to become more “grouchy” and lose their temper more easily. That being said, I don’t know if/how their beliefs changed.
Those are my ideas about what happened to John Fetterman. I don’t believe he played some long game that began when he was Lt. Gov. of Pennsylvania. It’s not wrong for voters to want their money back after donating to a completely different candidate.
Close to 100 people have requested their money back from the campaign of Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.
Refund requests can be routine part of campaigns, either because donors decide for some reason that they want a refund or they accidentally donated over the legal limit for contributions.
In Fetterman’s case, though, several donors have indicated that they asked the campaign for their money back or planned to do so because of his hard-right turn toward Israel and Republican-aligned policies. The bulk of the refund requests to Fetterman’s campaign since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza have been from small-dollar donors.
Darwin Leuba, the vice-chair of the O’Hara Township Democratic Committee and the elected auditor of the township since 2017 in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, requested a refund of his $5 contribution last month.
“Fetterman’s either fighting for our rights, or he’s not. And if he’s not, then we need to push back.”
“It seems silly, right? It’s just five bucks, but it serves as a proof of concept for those who gave much more,” Leuba told The Intercept, noting that he only spoke for himself. “Our rights are being stripped away, and we need representatives who care enough to fight for us.”
“Fetterman’s either fighting for our rights, or he’s not. And if he’s not, then we need to push back,” Leuba said, “even if it’s five bucks at a time.”
The Fetterman campaign has issued more than 1,700 refund requests since 2021 from more than 1,000 donors, totaling more than $780,800, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission. That includes more than 200 refunds last cycle. At least seven political action committees also received refunds. (Fetterman’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.)
