The emergence of Senator John Fetterman from Pennsylvania in recent years is one of the most peculiar political narratives. His journey to national attention began in 2022 when he secured the Democratic Party’s nomination to compete against Republican Mehmet Oz for the vacant Senate seat following Pat Toomey’s retirement.
During the campaign, Fetterman, who was then serving as lieutenant governor, faced a significant setback due to a severe stroke. This raised concerns about his ability to fulfill duties in the U.S. Senate if elected. Despite his opponent Oz being a weak candidate and now nominated by President-elect Donald Trump for a role in leading the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Fetterman managed to secure victory with a substantial margin of nearly +5%.
Describing John Fetterman as a puzzling figure would be an understatement. Following his election, he faced valid criticism for his unconventional attire, ambiguous approach to his health issues, brash behavior in the Senate chamber, and his unfavorable stance on Bidenflation.
After Hamas terrorists attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, however, a different John Fetterman began to emerge, one that didn’t always march in lockstep with his party. Here’s what I wrote last year after Fetterman outed himself as a staunch supporter of Israel:
It’s not often that Sen. John Fetterman is praised on these pages for his political clarity, but credit where it is due: He’s become the moral backbone of the Democrat Party when it comes to Israel. And it seems to be ticking off all the right people, so that makes it even better.
While many in his party sided with the terrorists, Fetterman posted posters of the Israeli hostages outside his Senate office, met with the families of the hostages, and called out pro-Hamas mobs who marched across college campuses with hateful, antisemitic rhetoric.
There is no doubt that John Fetterman is a friend to Israel. He’s also willing to mock the sillier parts of his party and deride the left for its soft-on-crime stances. He outwardly supported the Harris-Walz ticket, but his face told another story.
