After John Fetterman won a dramatic Senate race in 2022, his political research team reviewed potential vulnerabilities and flagged one concern that now sounds prescient.
A pile of anecdotes, news stories, and data points suggested that Fetterman had often been absent from his two earlier public offices, according to three former aides with direct knowledge of the review, which has not previously been reported. The senator’s incoming staff knew they had to keep him active.
Fetterman, though, hasn’t followed through.
The Pennsylvania Democrat who has become one of his party’s most recognizable names didn’t attend a single committee hearing in ...