Ahmed Moor Launches 2028 Democratic Primary Bid Against Sen. Fetterman
Ahmed Moor, a Gaza-born Palestinian American writer from Philadelphia, will run in the 2028 Democratic primary for Sen. John Fetterman's Pennsylvania seat. He is the first declared challenger, after Democrats won back the Senate in the midterm elections.
Ahmed Moor, a Gaza-born Palestinian American writer and democratic socialist from Philadelphia, said he will run in the 2028 Democratic primary for the Pennsylvania Senate seat held by John Fetterman. He is the first declared challenger to the incumbent.
Fetterman, a Democrat, has angered many in his party by increasingly siding with Republicans. His seat is next up for election in 2028.
Moor's entry is the first public sign of Fetterman's weakened standing since Democrats won back the Senate in last week's midterm elections. The party won at least 54 of the chamber's 100 seats.
A comfortable majority effectively removes the chance that Fetterman's vote could be decisive. Democratic strategists had feared they could no longer rely on him for support on contentious issues.
Who Moor is
Moor is 42 and was born in Rafah, in southern Gaza. He has worked as a writer and journalist and has never held political office. He acknowledges an "uphill battle".
He said he is "not really running against Fetterman". "I'm running for good government. I'm running for the rule of law. I'm running because I believe in America," he said.
Moor supports withdrawing US aid to Israel and imposing sanctions aimed at securing equal rights for Palestinians. He is also campaigning on universal childcare, a wealth tax on billionaires and holding officials accountable for corruption.
Fetterman's record
Fetterman is one of the most pro-Israel Democrats in Congress, and his stance has hardened since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023. That attack left about 1,200 people dead on the Israeli side. More than 74,000 Palestinians in Gaza, most of them women and children, have been killed in Israel's military response.
He has said he has no plans to leave the Democratic Party. He strongly suggested he would reconsider if it became "anti-Israel". "That's my red line," he said.
President Donald Trump has praised Fetterman as "a great guy" and said he would "love" him to become a Republican. In September, Fetterman sent a video message to the Republican midterm convention in Texas praising Pennsylvania Sen. Dave McCormick, a Republican.
More challengers expected
Democrats say Moor is unlikely to be the only challenger. Mike Weidinger, a veteran Lancaster County Democrat with statewide connections, said he expects "some bigger, mainstream kind of names". He named Rep. Chris Deluzio, from the Pittsburgh area, and state legislator Malcolm Kenyatta as likely candidates.
Weidinger said many Democrats believe Fetterman "either misrepresented himself when he ran the first time, or he changed completely from what he said he was". He added that Fetterman "didn't spend one penny or do one thing for a single Democrat candidate here last week".
On a possible party switch, Weidinger said: "If he wants to switch, he can switch. If it would have been 51 to 49, it would have mattered. But it doesn't matter now."
