November 10, 2026
Provided image/Moor for Senate
West Philly resident Ahmed Moor is running against John Fetterman in the 2028 U.S. Senate primary election.
In 2024, Ahmed Moor joined four other Palestinians and Palestinian Americans in suing the federal government. The litigation accused the State Department of violating the Leahy Act, which bars military aid to foreign nations credibly accused of human rights abuses, in its support of Israel's "widespread unlawful killings" and "forcible displacement, starvation, persecution and knowing deprivation of items indispensable to the survival of civilian Palestinians in Gaza." Still winding its way through the courts, the lawsuit has now implicated two presidential administrations.
"Joe Biden and Donald Trump have violated American law ... in supporting Israel through the genocide," said Moor, who was born in Gaza. "That's not okay. Our laws are meaningful. They count for something. So let's adhere to the law."
A return to the rule of law, norms and the U.S. Constitution is core to Moor's campaign for U.S. Senate, which the West Philly writer and entrepreneur announced this week. In his view, that includes sanctions for Israel. To win the 2028 Democratic primary race, however, he'll need to defeat one of the nation's staunchest allies on Capitol Hill: Sen. John Fetterman.
Moor's challenge is an ambitious one. Apart from a 2022 election to the Philadelphia Democratic City Committee, he has not held or ran for public office. But the 42-year-old democratic socialist believes voters are sick of the crushing cost of living, spurred by a war in Iran "that nobody in America wanted" and what Moor views as a related "corruption crisis" within the Trump administration. He's offering an alternative in what he describes as the dignity agenda — Medicare for All, universal preschool, affordable housing and overall lower costs.
"Thomas Jefferson wrote life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness just a few miles away from where I live in Philly," he said. "What does it mean, what does liberty mean when you live in poverty? If you can't go to the dentist or take your kids to a baseball game, or you're overwhelmed by anxiety in thinking about what it's going to cost when you go to the store to feed your family, you're not really free."
Moor's family immigrated to Philadelphia when he was 7 years old, after his father landed a job with the American Friends Service Committee. He eventually graduated from Roxborough High School and the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in political science. His postgraduate life was marked by several moves, both physically and professionally. After working in finance in New York for three years, he relocated to Beirut to report on politics, immigration and human rights. Moor next earned a master's degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and co-founded Liwwa, a peer-to-peer lending platform for small businesses in Jordan. About six years ago, he returned to Philadelphia with his wife and children. Most recently, he's analyzed American foreign policy as a fellow for Foundation for Middle East Peace.
Becoming a parent to three girls played a hand in his Senate bid. Moor finds the idea that his daughters might have "fewer rights, fewer opportunities" than he and his wife "just intolerable." His rival Fetterman, he says, has not put up an adequate fight.
"Not a serious guy," Moor said. "This goes beyond policy disagreements, right? This is about whether the man's willing to do the job. The Wall Street Journal reports that he hangs out on the couch all day scrolling Twitter. That's fun. That's cool. I think that's great. That's not what the terms of the job are."
Fetterman's office did not immediately respond to request for comment.
Moor will host his official campaign launch Tuesday, Nov. 17, at Renata's Kitchen in University City. But over the next two years, the candidate plans to travel widely outside Philadelphia to all 67 counties in Pennsylvania. He views the entire electorate as his potential base, even if they disagree with his policy pitches.
"America's a great place," he said. "Philly's a great place. People are friendly everywhere. Our politics are toxic."
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