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Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) said a “significant part” of the Democratic Party is being “taken over” with “extreme views” after candidates with ties to democratic socialism recently scored wins in congressional races.
Fetterman said during an appearance on Fox News’s “Saturday in America” that the rise in progressive candidates signals a growing shift for the party.
“There’s a significant part of our party that’s getting taken over with these extreme views,” Fetterman said.
“You know, whether it’s P-Hustle in Maine or the new squad coming in out of New York City or the guy in Colorado, that’s the direction that our party’s going,” he added, referring to Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D) by a nickname.
Platner, who describes himself as a “New Deal Democrat” who favors working-class policies including “Medicare for All,” is the presumed Democratic nominee in the Pine Tree state’s race for the upper chamber.
Two democratic socialists in New York knocked out incumbent lawmakers in the House last Tuesday while another won their primary race with backing from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D).
Meanwhile, Melat Kiros, a democratic socialist in Colorado, is aiming to knock out 15-term Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) in the primary race later this week.
In recent weeks, Fetterman has sounded the alarm over Platner’s scandals, including past sexting with multiple women.
“A guy that was probably dropping pics for a decade on Kik? Why is P. Hussle on Kik? Kik has serious issues. Lack of kinds of controls. A lot of underage people. It’s really been controversial. Why was he on it for a decade? I mean, that’s a question,” Fetterman told reporters earlier this month.
“Who’s investigating why? I mean, was he sure that he was only talking to women that are old enough? I mean, what was his protocol? How could he be sure? Are you concerned that there’s more to drop? Well, he lied to everybody,” he added.
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