Ahmed Moor has announced his bid to challenge Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman in 2028 [MOOR for Senate]

Palestinian American Ahmed Moor has become the first Democrat to announce a bid for US Senator John Fetterman’s Pennsylvania seat in 2028, launching a campaign focused on accountability for the genocide in Gaza, police brutality linked to immigration enforcement, and corruption.

While 35 Senate seats were up for election in the 2026 midterms, 34 will be contested in 2028, alongside US presidential elections.

Announcing his candidacy on social media on Monday, Moor said he was running “to end the war in Iran and to promote the dignity agenda: free healthcare, free childcare, and affordable housing”.

Moor, 42, was born in Rafah in the Gaza Strip, where members of his family still live. He has previously described how his family had “experienced direct loss through the genocide”, including the killing of his cousin’s 19-year-old son by an Israeli sniper. A member of the Democratic Socialists of America and a Philadelphia father of three, he has worked in public policy and journalism, including across the Middle East.

My name is Ahmed Moor and I’m running for US Senate here in PA (election 2028). I’m running to end the war in Iran and to promote the dignity agenda: free healthcare, free childcare, and affordable housing. I’m calling for accountability for genocide, for ICE and for corruption. And finally, for the protection of our civil liberties in America. Join the fight at https://t.co/gM0uBwST6b

— Ahmed Moor (@AhmedMoor) November 9, 2026

His campaign slogan is “Stop funding wars and start funding Pennsylvania”.

“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,” a campaign message published by Moor states.

The message also cites $90 billion spent on the US war with Iran, blaming the conflict for driving up diesel and grocery prices.

“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,” it adds.

US support for Israel and President Donald Trump’s decision to enter the war with Iran were prominent issues in last week’s midterm elections, in which Democrats won control of both the House and Senate.

Fetterman, who has yet to announce whether he will seek a second six-year term in 2028, has faced widespread criticism over his outspoken support for Israel and close ties to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

At their most recent meeting, at Blair House in Washington on 29 July, Fetterman told Netanyahu he was “proud to stand with Israel through everything” and described himself as “the conscience of the Democratic Party in Congress”.

His stance has fuelled resentment within his party. He has repeatedly broken with fellow Democrats to oppose war powers resolutions aimed at forcing Trump to end the war in Iran, instead voting alongside Republicans.

In June, Fetterman also told The Hill that he would leave the Democratic Party if it became an “anti-Israel party”, describing such a shift as his “red line”.

A New York Times poll conducted in August found that 69 per cent of Democratic voters in Pennsylvania viewed Fetterman negatively, while Republicans viewed him favourably.

Moor, by contrast, advocates withdrawing US military aid to Israel and imposing sweeping sanctions until Palestinians “have equal rights in that country”. Polls also show that most Pennsylvania voters support withdrawing US military aid to Israel.

“We need to do away with the idea that Israel is a place where Jews have superior rights relative to Palestinians,” Moor told The Philadelphia Inquirer. “That is not consistent with my values as an American. I think it’s also a recipe for endless conflict. As Americans, we’re deeply implicated in Israeli apartheid. We fund it. We sustain it. We protect it.”