Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman said he could walk away from the Democratic Party if they elect Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, or someone else similarly critical of Israel, as Majority Leader.
Fox News asked Fetterman on Saturday if there was a “red line” that would cause him to leave the Democratic Party. “Yeah, absolutely,” he responded. “It would be troubling if my caucus elects someone like Van Hollen that has really made his name being very anti-hostile to Israel, you know. If you are going to be angry or hostile towards any countries in the region, why not make that, you know, Iran or Hezbollah or Hamas as well too?”
However, he refused to say he would definitely leave the party when pressed on the question. Van Hollen announced last week that he was making a bid to supplant Chuck Schumer as leader of the Democrats in the Senate.
“This really is a response to the call of the voters, who clearly rejected Donald Trump and his awful policies, but they haven’t fully hired the Democrats,” Van Hollen said on Sunday. “They’ve given us a chance, and I think we need to earn their trust. And I think that begins by not going back to business as usual.”
The Democrats won a sweeping victory in the midterm elections earlier this month. Many Republicans and analysts have attributed the election results to voter dissatisfaction with the war against Iran and US support for Israel.
In the interview with Fox News, Fetterman questioned why Democrats would use their majorities in the new Congress to cut aid to Israel. “Why, both in the House, now in the Senate, now their first instincts are to punish Israel and to withhold these kinds of aid. Why? Why isn’t your first instinct to say, ‘Let’s hold Iran accountable?’” he said.
Fetterman has been a vocal advocate for the US maintaining its special relationship with Israel and has voted against War Powers resolutions aimed at forcing President Donald Trump to end the war against Iran.
Even if Fetterman were to leave the Democrats, the party would still hold a significant majority in the Senate. Fetterman was elected to the Senate in 2022 when he narrowly defeated TV personality Dr. Oz.
