A chunk of Sen. John Fetterman’s (D-PA) small-dollar donors have requested a refund from his campaign over his support of Israel.
The only thing surprising about this is how long it took for it to happen. Fetterman has been vocal in his support for the Jewish state since Hamas launched a surprise attack on October 7, 2023, murdering over 1,000 Israeli soldiers and civilians.
The Intercept reported that “Close to 100 people have requested their money back from the campaign of Sen. John Fetterman.”
Refund requests can be routine part of campaigns, either because donors decide for some reason that they want a refund or they accidentally donated over the legal limit for contributions.
In Fetterman’s case, though, several donors have indicated that they asked the campaign for their money back or planned to do so because of his hard-right turn toward Israel and Republican-aligned policies. The bulk of the refund requests to Fetterman’s campaign since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza have been from small-dollar donors.
Darwin Leuba, vice chair of the O’Hara Township Democratic Committee is one of those who demanded a refund of the $5 he donated to Fetterman’s campaign.
“It seems silly, right? It’s just five bucks, but it serves as a proof of concept for those who gave much more,” Leuba told The Intercept, noting that he only spoke for himself. “Our rights are being stripped away, and we need representatives who care enough to fight for us.”
“Fetterman’s either fighting for our rights, or he’s not. And if he’s not, then we need to push back,” Leuba said, “even if it’s five bucks at a time.”
So far, Fetterman’s campaign has granted over 1,700 refunds since 2021 from more than 1,000 donors, according to The Intercept. This adds up to about $780,000.
This sounds like a lot of money – because it is – but it is not likely to affect his overall war chest.
Still, the refunds represent a small portion of Fetterman’s campaign haul. Sixty-two donors received refunds after the October 7 attacks, totaling $20,300 across 139 contributions, less than 1 percent of the campaign’s total individual contributions that cycle. That figure does not include donors like Leuba who requested their refunds last month, or anytime since December; requests after December will be reflected in an upcoming filing.
The period since October 7 reflects about two-thirds of the total time Fetterman has been in office, making it natural for more requests for refunds to pile up since the Hamas attacks.
It’s not just his support for Israel that is rankling feathers among leftists. They also take issue with his vote for the Laken Riley Act, which made it easier to punish illegal immigrants who commit additional crimes after entering the country. He also voted to confirm Attorney General Pam Bondi, another unpardonable sin.
The Intercept highlighted comments from left-leaning Reddit users who indicated they are demanding refunds. “It’s a good way to make it clear Pennsylvania is not behind this NewCon turn,” one user opined.
Some leftists have taken more extreme measures against the senator for not supporting Hamas. Fetterman announced on Thursday that pro-Hamas thugs vandalized the charity shop run by his wife, Gisele Barreto Fetterman, The Times of Israel reported. They draped a sheet over the store saying, “Genocide John, Genocide Gisele, Blood on your hands.”
Fetterman’s stance has made him a frequent target of protests, but until this week, he tweeted, they had focused on his home and workplace. Braddock, where John Fetterman served as mayor for more than a decade, is a low-income post-industrial town, and Gisele’s store aims to help area residents by distributing surplus goods at no cost. It is housed in a brightly painted shipping container.
People defaced the FreeStore in Braddock last night.
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) April 3, 2025
Since 10/7/23, I’m used to the vandalism at our home or my office.
But Gisele and volunteers distribute food, clothing and formula at no cost to our community—and they shouldn’t have to put up with this. pic.twitter.com/3hQCOGj2AO
This behavior is par for the course with the pro-Hamas lobby in the United States. They have targeted Republicans and Democrats alike for supporting Israel’s efforts to eradicate Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Yet, despite failing for over a year, they still believe they can bully people into supporting a terrorist organization instead.
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