Sen. John Fetterman says he is 'not a progressive'

U.S. Sen. John Fetterman says that he is “not a progressive” amid criticism from some of his supporters.

Fetterman gained fame, especially in progressive circles, for his backing of issues like single-payer health care, recreational marijuana, LGBTQ rights and progressive politicians like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.

But he told NBC News on Friday that his strong support for Israel and his warming up to migration restrictions on the southern border shouldn’t surprise people.

“I’m not a progressive,” Fetterman told NBC News. “I just think I’m a Democrat that is very committed to choice and other things. But with Israel, I’m going to be on the right side of that. And immigration is something near and dear to me, and I think we do have to effectively address it as well.”

Fetterman has faced backlash from some of his supporters for his support of Israel’s right to respond forcefully after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks.

The Democratic senator from Braddock continued his harsh criticism of controversial U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., and said his takes on immigration revolve around negotiating with Republicans to ensure that help is sent to Ukraine and Israel to help the two countries fight their wars.

Fetterman said it’s reasonable to look at ways to curb the number of migrants crossing the southern border, citing that the record-high 270,000 that crossed in September is difficult to manage.

“It’s a reasonable conversation — until somebody can say there’s an explanation on what we can do when 270,000 people are being encountered on the border, not including the ones, of course, that we don’t know about,” Fetterman said.

Fetterman’s chief of staff, Adam Jentleson, said Fetterman has remained consistent over the years with his policies, and he campaigned for his 2022 race rejecting the progressive label.

By contrast, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey has called for migrants to be sent to the Steel City to help the region fill many of its vacant jobs and increase the city’s shrinking population.

Many on social media have pointed out that before entering the Senate, Fetterman had espoused a pro-immigrant stance, including defending his wife, Gisele, a former undocumented immigrant, as an example of why America needs to be more lenient on illegal immigration.

“I was asked, ‘Your wife’s family broke the law. What do you think of that?’ ” Fetterman said in a political ad during his unsuccessful 2016 Senate campaign. “And I said, ‘Well, I’m so grateful that they did.’ Because if they didn’t have the courage to take that step, I wouldn’t have the three beautiful children that I have today.”

While his recent stances appear to be losing him support with progressives, Fetterman may be gaining clout with some Republicans.

“For a lot of Republicans, it’s been a pleasant surprise,” Harrisburg-based GOP strategist Christopher Nicholas told NBC News.

Many elected Democrats are sticking with Fetterman, despite the criticism from the left.

When asked about Fetterman’s recent comments on Israel, immigration and Menendez, Sen. Bob Casey, D-Scranton, told NBC that Fetterman is “a great colleague” and that “John’s doing everything he can to serve the state. And I think he’s doing well.”