Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said in this week that much of the left-wing of the Democratic Party had left his political position. The Pennsylvania senator made the statement as he came under criticism from some on the left for his stances supporting Israel and increased border security.
Fetterman told the New York Post that it was “not so much” that he stopped being a ‘progressive,’ but that the “title left me.”
He said that the left-wing of the Democratic Party had “moved and migrated into some positions that I don’t agree with and I really just feel more comfortable just being a Democrat.”
Fetterman attacks ‘sleazeball’ Democrat in vow to restrict Menendez in the Senate https://t.co/RjnxLpRrtn
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) January 20, 2024
The former supporter of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) presidential campaign stated that there is a “crisis at our border, and it can’t be controversial that we should have a secure border.”
He also fervently backed Israel following the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack.
The senator expressed concern over the increasing number of migrants attempting to enter the country. He cited the recent high of more than 300,000 migrants encountered by law enforcement in December 2023. “That’s larger than the population of Pittsburgh,” he said.
He called for Democrats to accept a “comprehensive solution” to the issue and argued that President Joe Biden may buck his party to do so.
Fetterman positioned himself as a progressive during the 2022 election, besting Democratic rivals in the primary election. In November of that year he defeated Republican nominee Mehmet Oz, despite the fact that Fetterman was recovering from a stroke.
The former Pennsylvania lieutenant governor received extensive medical treatment following the stroke and voluntarily sought therapy after dealing with depression.
Over the last six months the senator has adopted a number of centrist positions and has increasingly broken with his party. Late last year Fetterman said that he was not a “progressive.”
Fetterman has been an outspoken critic of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ), who is currently facing federal bribery charges.
Fetterman has repeatedly called for Menendez to resign. During the same newspaper interview, he called Menendez a “sleazeball.”
