Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said there is “one thing” that would compel him to leave the Democratic Party.

While speaking with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Fetterman said the Democrats becoming the “anti-Israel party” would cross the line for him.

“My real concern is the Democratic Party is going to put it into the platform, you know, as an anti-Israel party, that Israel does not have the right to defend itself and to exist,” Fetterman explained.

“And the second that becomes a formal part of our platform, that’s the one thing that would push me out of this party,” he continued.

“I’m deeply alarmed the way the Democratic Party is going after Israel and allowing to just rank anti-Semitism to just flourish, you know, and the left on the campuses as well,” he added.

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Mediaite noted:

Fetterman’s comments came as he was pressed on the insurgent wave of progressive and self-described democratic socialist candidates winning primaries, in both Colorado and New York, pushing out long-serving incumbents with campaigns that focus, in part, on opposing U.S. support for Israel’s war on Gaza.

The senator claimed that one thing the new generation of candidates had in “common” was “contempt for Israel” that he said was “essentially” becoming “anti-Semitism.”

“One of the supreme honors of my time in the Senate is standing with Israel,” Fetterman previously said.

“Israel has always been the moral clarity—I’m proud to stand by that regardless of how those views continue to damage standing within my own party,” he added.

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Meanwhile, former Sen. Joe Manchin urged Fetterman to ditch the Democratic Party and become an independent.

“My observation, and recommendation from observation, would be, John, trust me, set yourself free and become an independent,” Manchin said.

More from the Washington Examiner:

Manchin, who left the Democratic Party in 2024 and opted not to seek a third term that same year, said if Fetterman wants to work with both sides of the aisle, becoming an independent would allow the Pennsylvania Democrat to “speak as a real, true, free, free broker.”

“John Fetterman is voting what he believes is right for his people and what he can explain, and I appreciate that and respect it,” Manchin said. “When you like both people and both sides, you can sit down with both sides, you can agree to disagree, you can try to find compromise and make things happen.”

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Fetterman, who once described himself as a progressive Democrat, renounced the label in 2023, saying he “would just call myself a Democrat.”

Fetterman has broken from his party on several high-profile issues, including border security and his support for Israel and the war in Iran. He has also criticized his fellow Democrats, accusing the party of “catering to the fringe and agitated parts of our base” in an op-ed published in the Washington Post.

 

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