Who is John Fetterman? The lone Democrat challenging Biden’s hardening stance on Israel

With his fondness for hoodies and swear words, not to mention his 6ft 8in stature, John Fetterman, the senator for Pennsylvania, has never been one to blend into the political crowd.

But the Left-wing lawmaker has taken many in his party by surprise to emerge as a key Democratic voice challenging both Joe Biden and pro-Palestine protesters over their stance on Israel.

The US president has dramatically hardened his stance in recent weeks, even threatening on Wednesday night to withhold arms from Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister’s planned invasion of Rafah went ahead.

Meanwhile, thousands of students and other young activists have dominated US campuses to protest the Jewish state’s military action in Gaza and heap pressure on the Democrats.

While most of his Democratic colleagues have attempted to delicately balance supporting Israel’s right to defend itself against concern, or even condemnation, of the plight of Gaza’s civilian population, Mr Fetterman has set himself apart as an outspoken defender of the Jewish state.

He has taken the same tongue-in-cheek approach to the pro-Palestine campus protests as he did to great success against his 2022 Republican senate rival.

Just as he mocked Mehmet Oz, the TV doctor, as an out-of-touch elite in viral memes, Mr Fetterman has ridiculed campus protesters on social media as the “pup tent intifada”.

The senator’s position has taken progressive groups who endorsed him in 2022 by surprise, with some now reconsidering their support.

An exodus among Mr Fetterman’s staff led to speculation aides in his office were also unhappy with his stance on Israel, although he has rejected the suggestion.

Once a self-proclaimed “progressive Democrat”, Mr Fetterman’s national profile blossomed when he won the backing of Bernie Sanders, the firebrand independent senator for Vermont.

His uniform of baggy basketball shorts and hoodies, coupled with his distinctive goatee, tattoos and a plain-speaking approach, soon drew him a following.

Although he has since eschewed the “progressive” mantle he insists he has never wavered on his stances.

“I said I dress like a slob, I [still] dress like a slob,” he told USA Today. “I said I was going to stand with Israel, I stand with Israel. I said I’m going to be a reliable Democratic vote, and I’m still a reliable Democratic vote.”

Mr Fetterman volunteered his time to stump for Mr Biden on the campaign trail but the 54-year-old senator did not shy away from criticising the president.

Hours after Mr Biden publicly warned Israel the US could halt the delivery of arms, Mr Fetterman called the policy shift “deeply disappointing”.

Christopher Nicholas, a veteran Pennsylvania-based Republican political consultant, said: “He is redefining what it means to be a progressive in the US Senate.

“From my perspective, Fetterman is revelling in throwing people for a loop,” he said. “I also know that it’s very concerning to a lot of Pennsylvania moderates who think that they were swindled on his views as a progressive and feel betrayed.”

Mr Nicholas attributes some of Mr Fetterman’s “view on the situation facing Israel” to an unlikely source: Jeff Bartos, his Republican opponent in the 2018 race to be Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor.

The pair’s friendship was cemented on the campaign trail when Mr Fetterman called Mr Bartos, a devout Jew, minutes after a deadly anti-Semitic attack at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.

Mr Bartos said: “He just has a huge heart. He’s deeply empathetic and he genuinely cares. I remember what he said to me that day: ‘brother, you were the first person I thought of, I had to talk to you. I’m so sorry that you and other Jews have to live in a world like this’. I think that’s him in a nutshell.”

He stressed that he had not spoken to Mr Fetterman in many months, and said: “I can’t speak to what motivates him or why he’s doing what he’s doing.”

But he shared that Mr Fetterman and his wife Gisele had dined at their house and heard his family’s stories about Israel and what it meant to them.

“Whether that had an influence or impact or not, I really couldn’t say,” he added.

When not in Washington, Mr Fetterman still lives in Braddock, the steel town which he served as mayor for 13 years, just five miles from the Tree of Life Synagogue.

He went on to defeat Mr Bartos in 2018 to become Pennsylvania’s Lieutenant governor, a post he held until he took up his seat in the US Senate in 2023.

Mr Fetterman’s senate campaign centred on progressive priorities including criminal justice reform, abolishing the death penalty and legalising cannabis. His victory spanned far beyond the Democratic heartlands of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, into red districts.

Mr Fetterman was no stranger to press scrutiny before he even arrived in Washington.

His senate race was the most closely-watched in the country and took a dramatic turn when he was hospitalised with a serious stroke at the pinnacle of the campaign.

He was later hospitalised for six weeks to have treatment for clinical depression.

He has partially attributed his willingness to be outspoken to the perspective his recovery has afforded him, although more cynical minds would suggest Mr Fetterman can afford to speak freely on the issue since he does not face re-election until 2028.

Mr Biden’s campaign is already aware of the jeopardy the Middle East conflict poses at home, with thousands of young and Left-wing voters casting protest ballots during the Democratic primaries and threatening not to turn out in the general election.

Both Mr Biden and Mr Fetterman’s messaging on Israel will be put to the test in Pennsylvania this November, a crucial state for the party’s hopes of retaining both the US Senate and the White House.

At least one poll, from Quinnipiac University, suggests Mr Fetterman’s outspoken rhetoric has not hurt him, with around a quarter of voters saying they viewed him more favourably since he began expressing strong support for Israel. Fourteen per cent said it made them think less favourably of him.

He is unphased by progressives’ threats to stay home in November and potentially hand Donald Trump a second term, declaring with trademark candour: “If the voters turn their backside to the stove, that fire is going to burn.”

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