The likely Republican Senate candidate in Pennsylvania’s upcoming race is praising one of the top Democrats in his state, Sen. John Fetterman, who has broken with his party on several key topics in recent months.
“I suspect that John Fetterman and I disagree on most things, but I have noted and been impressed by the fact that on three key issues, he has spoken out in a way that’s very consistent with what I’ve said and what I believe in,” Dave McCormick told The Daily Wire. “First is Israel: I think he’s been a strong voice.”
McCormick is the frontrunner in the Republican primary for Pennsylvania’s senate seat — he ran for the same position in last cycle and was narrowly defeated in the Republican primary by Mehmet Oz by less than 1,000 votes. Ultimately, the winner of that senate race was Fetterman.
McCormick, who just returned from a trip to Israel, said he has no issue admitting he agrees with many of Fetterman’s statements on Israel and thinks that the two of them can work together on that issue if he wins. “I’m not trying to score political points,” McCormick said. “When someone, even who’s on the other side of the aisle, someone who was an opponent, is saying things that make sense and are right for America, I wanted to call out and say I agree with him.”
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“If I’m fortunate enough to be elected and Senator Fetterman continues to have the position that he’s had, I’d welcome the opportunity to work with him on Israel,” he added. “I think we could potentially be good allies.”
Fetterman has gone viral several times since Hamas’s October 7 massacre of Israeli civilians for being unapologetically pro-Israel when many members of his party are openly critical of the Jewish state. In November, Fetterman laughed while waving a small Israeli flag at anti-Israel protesters who were getting arrested.
John Fetterman waves an Israeli flag at pro-terrorist protesters!!!! pic.twitter.com/TglRdJg9jT
— Matthew Foldi (@MatthewFoldi) November 10, 2023
In front of his office, the Senator put up posters for each of the hostages taken by Hamas and says he will keep them up until every hostage is returned home. And last week during an Orthodox Union luncheon, Fetterman defended Israel when discussing South Africa accusing Israel of genocide at the International Court of Justice.
“Maybe South Africa … ought to sit this one out when they’re talking about criticizing Israel,” Fetterman said. “Sit it out!”
U.S. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) wearing dog tags in solitary with the more than 100 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
McCormick contrasted Fetterman’s rhetoric to his potential opponent, Democratic senator Bob Casey, who he said lacks the same “moral clarity.”
“When I talk about Bob Casey not having moral clarity, I think John Fetterman has had moral clarity and I admire that and I’ve said that publicly,” McCormick said.
McCormick accuses Casey — who has been in office since 2007 — of helping empower Iran by voting in favor of President Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.
“Bob Casey, every step of the way, has been an enormous supporter of this and has led us to this point where we have terrorist proxies throughout the Middle East, underwritten by Iran, that are attacking U.S. interests, attacking our closest allies, attacking U.S. sailors and soldiers,” McCormick said.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas meets with Sen. Bob Casey on April 6, 2013 in Ramallah, West Bank. (Photo by Thaer Ghanaim/PPO via Getty Images)
“In three examples, I found myself in a surprisingly strong agreement with John Fetterman,” McCormick explained, noting that his other two areas of agreement are Fetterman’s acknowledgment of an illegal immigration crisis at the southern border and his call for Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) to be expelled from the Senate following accusations of bribery.
On his trip to Israel with his wife Dina Powell, who was the United States Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategy under the Trump administration, McCormick said they visited Kfar Aza, one of the kibbutzim where Hamas slaughtered more than 50 people.
“You’re walking through the streets and the buildings and the bullet holes and the great grenade fragments,” he said. “It just made clear to me that we’re dealing with pure evil and that as America, we need to show our solidarity in supporting Israel and really destroying Hamas.”
Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick tours Kfar Aza, a kibbutz attacked by Hamas terrorists on October 7. (Courtesy of Dave McCormick)
McCormick said he met with a young female survivor of the Nova festival who hid under dead bodies in a bomb shelter for hours to survive.
“She was wounded, but underneath dead bodies and so the terrorists thought she was dead and she was stuck there for hours until a rescue party eventually came,” he said, adding that he also watched the restricted 47-minute video of footage of the attack.
The trip solidified his view that Hamas must be eliminated.
“You can’t live side by side with people who want to come across 600 meters of border and slit your throat in the middle of the night,” McCormick said.