Summary

John Fetterman, born in 1969, is currently serving as the U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania since 2022. His seat will be up for election in 2026.

A member of the Democratic Party, Fetterman served as Mayor of Braddock, PA from 2006 to 2019. Prior to that, he served in the AmeriCorps and earned an MPP from Harvard.

Fetterman ran for Pennsylvania’s Senate seat in 2016, finishing third in the Democratic primary. He ran for lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania in 2018, defeating a field of candidates that included then-incumbent Mike Stack in the Democratic primary.

Below is Senator John Fetterman’s voting record and public positions on issues important to the Jewish community.

Fetterman praised the U.S.-Israel relationship, stating that it is “a special one that needs to be safeguarded, protected, supported and nurtured through legislation and all available diplomatic efforts in the region.”

Fetterman expressed his support for continued U.S. funding for Israel’s Iron Dome air-defense system. When asked about that topic, Fetterman said that he was “dismayed by the Iron Dome,” alluding to a small cohort of far-left progressive House members that voted last year against legislation that would provide $1 billion to replenish Israel’s missile-defense system following the conflict with Hamas in Gaza. He said that he “would never vote in that regard.”

Fetterman was criticized for an endorsement he received by an organization called Peace for Action, a group that aligns with organizations that support the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) movement. When asked directly about BDS, Fetterman said he is “equally passionate” in his opposition to the antisemitic movement targeting Israel. “It’s just wrong,” he said. “Israel is our closest ally and friend in the region, and I do not believe that is anything productive that enhances not only Israel’s security but the region’s security through that process.”

He has called former President Trump’s decision to abandon the Iran nuclear deal as a “mistake,” and stated that he is aligned with the Biden administration as it seeks to negotiate a new agreement with Iran. “If I’m ever in a position to vote in that area,” Fetterman told Jewish Insider, “a non-nuclear Iran is a priority for the region and, of course, for Israel’s security.”

Fetterman supports continued U.S. security assistance for Israel “without any additional conditions,” he stressed, citing the 2016 Memorandum of Understanding between the two countries.

Following the October 7 terror attack by Hamas in Israel, Senator Fetterman became one of the most vocal supporters of Israel, calling for the elimination of Hamas and for the unconditional release of all the Israeli hostages.