Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer called for party unity after the midterm elections. Two members of his incoming caucus, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman and Michigan Sen.-elect Abdul El-Sayed, spent much of the campaign showing how difficult that could be.
The two Democrats are sharply divided over U.S. military aid to Israel. Fetterman supports that aid, including funding for Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system, and has backed military action against Iran and Hezbollah. El-Sayed campaigned against the war in Iran and argued that federal dollars spent on foreign military aid would be better used at home, including in American schools.
The disagreement turned personal after El-Sayed reportedly told progressive donors on a private Zoom call that challenging moderate Democrats in primaries could send a message to party leaders. “You put one ogre on a pike, and then everyone else gets the message,” he said. During a televised primary debate, El-Sayed confirmed he was referring to Fetterman, accusing the senator of abandoning the values he ran on.
Fetterman fired back by calling El-Sayed the “Pontiac Platner,” a reference to former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner. He also criticized El-Sayed for campaigning with Hasan Piker, a political streamer who previously said “America deserved 9/11.”
The feud flared again after El-Sayed narrowly defeated Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens in the Democratic primary. Days before the general election, reports said his campaign had barred Stevens from its final events. Fetterman told Jewish Insider that Stevens had challenged El-Sayed’s positions on Israel and accused him of shutting her out for speaking her mind.
A longtime Democratic Senate aide told Fox News Digital that friction between the two would come as little surprise but said disagreements within the caucus haven’t necessarily kept Democrats from working together. Neither Fetterman nor El-Sayed responded to the outlet’s requests for comment.
For Schumer, the test comes when the two are voting in the same chamber. They may find common ground on other issues, but a vote on military aid to Israel would put one of their clearest differences on the record.
