John Fetterman

Fetterman dubs El-Sayed ‘Pontiac Platner’ in response to ‘ogre on a pike’ quip

Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) referred to progressive Michigan senatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed as “Pontiac Platner” when asked about El-Sayed’s quip at a donors’ meeting that he would support a primary challenge against Fetterman to “put one ogre on a pike” and send a message to the broader Democratic Party.

“I never worked out in male modeling, call me Senator Shrek, whatever,” Fetterman said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” in response to El-Sayed’s call to put Fetterman “on a pike.”

“But this guy is really the Pontiac Platner and now he’s really running to [be] head of our emerging pro-Hamas wing here in the party,” Fetterman said. “Politically, some of the things that he’s said or done are unacceptable to me.”

“I’m not really sure what I’ve really done or voted for that has offended the little guy so much,” he said.

Fetterman emerged as an outspoken critic of former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner (D), who dropped his challenge against Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) earlier this month after a woman he dated in 2021 accused him of rape…

Fetterman has criticized progressive colleagues such as Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) for backing candidates such as Platner and El-Sayed despite concerns among Democratic leaders in Washington that they may be weaker general-election candidates this November.