First challenger enters race for Fetterman’s seat in 2028

Less than a week after Democrats retook the Senate majority, a challenger has thrown his hat in the ring to oust one of the party’s most controversial members.

Ahmed Moor, a Palestinian American writer and businessperson, announced a bid to unseat Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) on Monday, marking the first challenge to Fetterman as questions swirl around his allegiance to the Democratic Party.

A Gaza-born Philadelphia resident and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, Moor put forth a progressive agenda as he kicked off his campaign for Senate.

“I’m running to end the war in Iran and to promote the dignity agenda: free healthcare, free childcare, and affordable housing,” Moor wrote on the social platform X. “I’m calling for accountability for genocide, for ICE and for corruption. And finally, for the protection of our civil liberties in America.”

Moor is running to the left of Fetterman, who has been more moderate since taking office, often publicly breaking with his party and drawing the ire of some Democrats. While he has said he won’t become a Republican , the Senator has warned he may leave the party if Democrats officially become anti-Israel. A poll in August showed he was more popular among Pennsylvania Republicans than Democrats.

With degrees from the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University, Moor moved to Pennsylvania with his family as a child. He worked in finance before pivoting to journalism, covering Beirut during the 2011 revolution in Egypt, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Moor lived in Jordan until he and his wife decided to move back to Philadelphia to raise their daughters five years ago.

“A few years ago my birthplace was turned to rubble in a genocide funded by our tax dollars, with the support of politicians on both sides of the aisle who can’t find money for transit or removing asbestos from our schools,” Moor wrote on his website .

“It’s clear the United States funds wars based on corruption and lies and has turned its back on its own people. We must make sure this never happens again. That’s why I’m running for U.S. Senate,” he added.

Fetterman has not said whether he will seek reelection in 2028. His support for sending military aid to Israel, sometimes voting with the GOP and his video appearance at the Republican midterm convention have drawn criticism among Democrats. Moor told the Philadelphia Inquirer he isn’t running against Fetterman, but rather for good governance.

“The truth is, I’m not really running against Fetterman,” Moor told the newspaper. “I’m running for good government. I’m running for the rule of law. I’m running because I believe in America. And I believe in our capacity for renewal. I believe in our capacity for redressing wrongs in our midst.”