John Fetterman Is Bleeding Staff Since His “I’m Not Progressive” Flip
John Fetterman has lost his top three communications staffers in the past month, a striking series of departures that follows the Pennsylvania senator’s sudden break with the left.
Deputy communications director Nick Gavio’s last day in Fetterman’s office is Friday, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. His departure follows that of Fetterman’s former communications director Joe Calvello, who left earlier this month, and press and digital aide Emma Mustion.
Mustion left to join the reelection campaign for Bob Casey, the other Pennsylvania senator. But Calvello now works for Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, and Gavio is about to join the Working Families Party—both far more progressive spaces.
Calvello and Gavio were highly complimentary about their time in Fetterman’s office, with Gavio saying he was “deeply honored” to have worked with the freshman senator. But their new employers stand in stark contrast with Fetterman, who in recent months has received blowback for his conservative stances on Gaza, immigration, and public funds.
The Working Families Party is a minor left-wing party focused on labor rights and education reform, among other issues. Johnson was elected in April after campaigning on redirecting public funds away from policing and toward investments in mental health, public housing, and youth opportunities. When Calvello’s appointment was announced in early March, he described Johnson as a “true progressive” and said he was “deeply honored to join his administration.”
Although Fetterman campaigned as an irreverent, progressive outsider, he has alienated many supporters in recent months over his staunch support for Israel during its war on Gaza and his support for heavy restrictions on immigration at the U.S.-Mexico border. In December he proudly declared, “I’m not a progressive.” Fetterman has also accused Democrats criticizing Joe Biden of essentially being MAGA voters in disguise.
But despite what many see as a complete 180, Fetterman continues to insist that he hasn’t changed at all.