Fetterman bucks ‘Jim Crow 2.0’ label for SAVE Act

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., continues his streak of breaking with his party — this time over voter ID legislation gaining steam in the Senate.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats almost unanimously rejected the Saving America’s Voters Eligibility Act (SAVE), election integrity legislation that passed the House earlier this week.

Schumer dubbed the legislation “Jim Crow 2.0,” arguing that it would suppress voters rather than encourage more secure elections.

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Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., speaks to a reporter as he arrives at the U.S. Capitol for a vote Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

But Fetterman, who has repeatedly rejected his party’s messages and positions, opposed the bill’s language proposed by Schumer.

“I would never characterize the SAVE Act as Jim Crow 2.0 or some sort of mass conspiracy,” Fetterman told Fox News’ Kayleigh McEnany on “Saturday in America.”

“But this is part of the debate we were having here in the Senate right now,” he continued. “And I’m not insulting people or suggesting that there’s anything disgusting about the terrible history of Jim Crow.”

The bill would require voters to show a photo ID before voting, require proof of citizenship in person when registering to vote and require states to remove non-citizens from voter rolls.

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Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, announced her support for the SAVE America Act, but will not go so far as to neutralize the Senate filibuster. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

The dynamic is taking shape among the Republicans. Sen. Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, became the 50th member of the conference to support the bill. But Senate Democrats virtually guaranteed its demise in the upper chamber, via filibuster.

Fetterman would not say whether he fully supports the bill. He noted, however, that “84 percent of Americans have no problem showing ID to vote.”

“So it’s not a radical idea,” Fetterman said. “It’s not something – and many states already display basic IDs. So that’s where we are in the Senate.”

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Senate Democrats are poised to oppose the SAVE Act. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty)

Even if Fetterman supported the bill, it is unlikely to pass without more significant procedural changes.

There are currently not enough votes to exceed the Senate filibuster threshold of 60 votes.

Fetterman is also not eager to eliminate the filibuster — a position shared by most Senate Republicans.

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He noted that Senate Democrats once favored abandoning the filibuster, but now want to preserve it despite being in the minority in a Republican-controlled government.

“I campaigned on that, too,” Fetterman said. “I mean, we were very wrong to neutralize the filibuster. And we should really humble ourselves and remind people that we wanted to eliminate it — and now we love it.”