Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) took on the rise of socialists and communists in the Democrat Party as far leftist candidates continue to rack up victories in primary races.
DSA-backed Democratic Socialist Donavan McKinney narrowly defeated incumbent Rep. Shri Thanedar in Michigan’s 13th Congressional District primary, while progressive Abdul El-Sayed won the Michigan U.S. Senate nomination over Haley Stevens and progressive William Lawrence won the seventh District.
During a conversation with Fox News Digital, the senator bashed the trend, suggesting it is benefitting radical elements that are dangerous for the country.
Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman railed against the growing influence of socialists and communists in the Democratic Party on Tuesday, warning that figures such as socialist streamer Hasan Piker are pulling the party toward a more radical future.
"I would never try to elevate … a communist just because [Piker] has followers on some, on Twitch, whatever that is. But overall, if you identify with a communist who praises Mao and Cuba and for these places, that should be foreign to any Democrat. Without a doubt, that's having an impact," Fetterman told Fox News Digital on the sidelines of the Israel on Campus Coalition conference Tuesday.
Piker has emerged as an influential voice on the Democratic left, backing socialist New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and campaigning alongside Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed as left-wing candidates court his millions of online followers. Piker has openly praised Mao Zedong and carried water for Cuba’s communist regime, blaming America for the island’s suffering.
Speaking with Fox News Digital after addressing the Israel on Campus Coalition's National Leadership Summit in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Fetterman said the direction of his party has become "troubling" and pointed to Tuesday’s primaries as the latest test of whether Democrats will continue embracing candidates aligned with the party’s progressive flank.
WATCH: Sen. John Fetterman is breaking with members of his own party over Democrats elevating popular socialist streamer Hasan Piker, who he blasted as a Mao-praising communist.
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) August 5, 2026
The Pennsylvania Democrat said he would “never” elevate someone who praises Mao and Cuba, arguing… pic.twitter.com/75D5tdgv02
The senator noted how people “have turned Israel as to the ultimate litmus” and “When you have Gov. Newsom describing Israel as an apartheid state. He knows better, that that’s not true.”
He further argued that the Democrat Party shouldn’t “pander to the fringe.”
The Pennsylvania Democrat continued that it should be "pretty obvious" that the party should not "pander to the fringe."
This is not the first time Fetterman has blasted far-leftist figures in the party. During a CNN interview said, “And a lot of the things that he has done and said during the primary were going to come back to haunt, like campaigning with a guy that loves Hamas and is very proud to stand with communist regimes.”
Democrat Senator John Fetterman: “A lot of the things [Abdul El-Sayed] has done and said during the primary are going to come back and haunt like him campaigning with a guy that loves Hamas and is very proud to stand with communist regimes…he had a very arrogant campaign.” pic.twitter.com/P6vEb7stf4
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 5, 2026
Of course, the true test of the socialist rise will come when they face general election challenges from Republican candidates.
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