Ahmed Moor, a Gaza-born Palestinian American writer and member of the Democratic Socialists of America, has announced a 2028 Democratic primary challenge for the Pennsylvania Senate seat held by John Fetterman, one of the most pro-Israel members of his party.
Moor, 42, is the first declared candidate for the seat, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Fetterman, whose term ends in January 2029, has not said whether he will seek reelection.
Moor's campaign centers on ending US military aid to Israel and imposing sanctions on it until Palestinians have equal rights. He told the Inquirer he would back legislation modeled on the 1986 Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act, which imposed sanctions on South Africa. "We just need to copy and paste the legislation," he said.
"We need to do away with the idea that Israel is a place where Jews have superior rights relative to Palestinians," Moor said. "As Americans, we're deeply implicated in Israeli apartheid."
He has also called for ending the war with Iran and for "accountability for genocide," alongside a domestic platform that includes Medicare for All, universal free childcare and a nationwide billionaire wealth tax.
Moor was born in Rafah, in southern Gaza, and moved to Philadelphia as a child while his father worked for the American Friends Service Committee. His family later spent three years in Ramallah before leaving in 2000. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and earned a master's degree in public policy from Harvard.
He has worked in finance and journalism, and in Jordan, where he ran a small-business lending organization. He co-edited the 2012 book "After Zionism: One State for Israel and Palestine," which advocates replacing Israel as a Jewish state with a single binational state. He returned to Philadelphia five years ago.
Moor has never held or run for office. His only political role has been as a committeeperson on Philadelphia's Democratic City Committee. He joined the Philadelphia chapter of the DSA after the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
He has hired Rasha Mubarak as finance director. She previously worked on the campaigns of Rep. Rashida Tlaib and former Rep. Cori Bush.
Moor cited New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's win and Michigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed's campaign as inspirations.
