Source: Politics<\/p>\n
BUCKS COUNTY, Pennsylvania \u2014 Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego said Republicans are trying to pull John Fetterman to the right and argued Democrats should keep the Pennsylvania senator in their corner as he faces mounting questions over his health and shifting political persona.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere needs to be space for Fetterman and for other senators in our caucus,\u201d he said in an interview Saturday. \u201cHe still is a senator that fights for working-class people. We may not be 100 percent in agreement a lot of times in a lot of areas, but we don’t have to be.\u201d<\/p>\n
While some Democrats have distanced themselves from Fetterman<\/a>, top Republicans have rallied around him in the wake of news reports that his current and former staffers are concerned about his mental and physical health. Several GOP senators, including Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), have come to Fetterman\u2019s defense on social media<\/a>.<\/p>\n “The radical left is smearing him with dishonest, vicious attacks because he’s pro-Israel and they only want reliable anti-Israel politicians,” Cotton said.<\/p>\n Asked if Republicans are trying to tug Fetterman to the GOP, Gallego said \u201cof course.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIn the Marines, we call these fuck-fuck games,\u201d said Gallego, who traveled to Pennsylvania Saturday for a town hall.<\/p>\n Fetterman has said repeatedly that he will not change parties. But that isn\u2019t stopping some conservatives from trying to push him to vote for their priorities \u2014 and perhaps more broadly come onto their side. The Club for Growth, a conservative group, is airing a TV ad in Pennsylvania this weekend<\/a> praising Fetterman as \u201cstanding up for every working family in PA\u201d and urging him to back President Donald Trump\u2019s tax cuts.<\/p>\n Fetterman has voted against the budget blueprint laying the groundwork for a massive package that would include the extension of Trump\u2019s first-term tax cuts, and he said on Friday he remains opposed to the efforts. Gallego expressed confidence that Fetterman would continue to hold that position, saying \u201cI think the last thing he’ll do is harming working-class families by voting for the reconciliation bill.\u201d<\/p>\n While Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has said Fetterman is an \u201call-star\u201d who is \u201cdoing a good job,\u201d several House Democrats in Fetterman\u2019s state have offered more chilly responses<\/a>, saying that the recent reporting raises questions and voters should read it. Fetterman has also drawn criticism from some on the left over his hardline position on Israel and recent meeting with Trump.<\/p>\n During Gallego\u2019s town hall, Gallego repeatedly stressed the need for Democrats to maintain a big tent. He was asked by a member of the audience why he did a fundraiser with Marc Andreessen, a pro-Trump businessperson. Gallego said he runs \u201cthe largest venture capital firm in Arizona.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe got so pure that we started kicking people out of the tent \u2014 it ends up there aren’t enough people in the tent to win elections,\u201d he said to applause.<\/p>\n Gallego\u2019s stop in the critical battleground of Pennsylvania, first reported by POLITICO<\/a>, has drawn speculation that he is interested in a future presidential bid. When asked in an NBC News interview<\/a> about the prospect of running for the White House, Gallego said, \u201cHas it ever crossed my mind? Fucking of course, I\u2019m an elected official, it crosses my mind. Am I thinking about it right now? Absolutely not.\u201d<\/p>\n