Fetterman Says Van Hollen as Leader Could Push Him to Leave Party
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman said electing Sen. Chris Van Hollen as Senate majority leader would be troubling, pointing to that outcome when asked about a red line for leaving the Democratic Party.
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Asked on Fox News whether he has a “red line” that would make him walk away if the Democratic Party “does go far left,” Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman pointed to a leadership contest in the Senate.
“Yeah, absolutely. It would be troubling if my caucus elects someone like Van Hollen, that has really made his name being very hostile to Israel,” Fetterman said Saturday on “Saturday in America,” hosted by Kayleigh McEnany.
A Question on Leaving
McEnany followed up: “So there’s a chance you could walk away from the Democratic Party if Van Hollen was majority leader?”
“Well, I don’t know how that’s going to look, but I am a Democrat,” Fetterman said. “I’ve always said that.”
He said he had stopped giving interviews before the midterms because of “a lot of bad, stupid takes,” and that almost no one expected Democrats to pick up Kansas, South Carolina, or Mississippi.
Van Hollen’s Leadership Bid
Van Hollen, the Maryland senator, announced on Thursday a challenge to Chuck Schumer of New York, the Senate Democratic leader.
On Friday in Denver, Van Hollen told a “What’s Next” conference that Democrats should “go toe to toe” with President Donald Trump and said he was no longer considering a White House run, The Associated Press reported.
The caucus vote is set for Dec. 1, behind closed doors and by secret ballot. Schumer’s allies argue the midterm gains endorse the current leadership, while Van Hollen’s backers call the results a mandate for change.
Earlier this month, Politico quoted Fetterman as saying, “I’m going to vote for Schumer. He helped recruit a great class, and I can’t imagine why you would vote for someone like Van Hollen with no record of doing anything.”
Maine Sen. Angus King, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, posted: “Why would you fire the manager when you just won the World Series?”
Indivisible had already urged Senate Democrats to replace Schumer after the midterms.
Israel and Iran
Fetterman tied his objection to Van Hollen’s record on Israel. “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?” he said.
He asked why, in both the House and the Senate, “their first instincts are to punish Israel and to withhold these kinds of aid,” and why the first instinct was not to “hold Iran accountable.”
In July, Fetterman set a broader test, saying he would leave “if our party ever becomes, and just makes it official, the anti-Israel party.”
Van Hollen has also led a recent push to strip Israel-related defense mandates from the annual Pentagon policy bill.
Kamer Kurunç
Kamer Kurunç is the Team Leader of Clash Report and has led the outlet for four years. He oversees its breaking world news coverage, from the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine war to defense and global politics. His focus is fast, verified, source-based reporting. Follow him on X at @kamerknc.
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