Dave McCormick said Democrats and Republicans worked together to urge Marc Fogel’s release. Here’s how it unfolded.

U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R., Pa.) first met Malphine Fogel, the 95-year-old mother of Marc Fogel, who arrived in the United States Tuesday night after years of Russian captivity, at President Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pa., in July 2024.

What eventually became known as the day when a deadly shooting unfolded at the Butler Farm Show Grounds also marked the beginning of an accelerated effort by McCormick, Trump, and a bipartisan group of Pennsylvania’s elected officials to bring home Marc Fogel, a teacher internationally and a Butler native who had been imprisoned in Russia since August 2021 for possessing medical marijuana prescribed for his chronic back pain.

In an interview with The Inquirer hours after Fogel’s release was announced, McCormick credited this cross-aisle coalition, the continuous public awareness brought to Fogel’s case, and the Trump administration’s swift actions as crucial to Fogel’s return.

McCormick said that when Trump met Malphine Fogel, who was sitting front row at the Butler rally, he promised to make her son a priority if he returned to the Oval Office.

“I’m particularly excited that his mom — and his mom’s 95 — I’m sure she thought there was a real risk she’d never hug her son again or see her son again, and here we have a success,” McCormick said.

With an American flag draped around his neck, Fogel arrived in Washington on Tuesday night — his first time on U.S. soil in more than three years — before meeting with Trump, McCormick, and other leaders at the White House.

Fogel was designated as “wrongfully detained” in December 2024 near the end of former President Joe Biden’s administration. This status allows those who were wrongfully imprisoned, like American journalist Evan Gershkovich and U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, to receive more support from U.S. officials.

A bipartisan group from Pennsylvania’s Capitol Hill delegation also penned a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Jan. 23 asking him to “do everything in your power to bring Marc home.” McCormick points to these efforts as key moments that hopefully helped speed the process along.

The letter was signed by McCormick and Sen. John Fetterman (D., Pa.); Democratic U.S. Reps. Chris Deluzio, Chrissy Houlahan, Brendan Boyle, and Madeleine Dean; and Republican U.S. Reps. Ryan Mackenzie, Dan Meuser, Glenn “GT” Thompson, Guy Reschenthaler, Brian Fitzpatrick, Mike Kelly, and Rob Bresnahan Jr.

In keeping with the unifying undertone of the return effort, McCormick and other U.S. senators found out about Fogel’s release during a bipartisan breakfast with Adam Boehler, special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, on Tuesday morning.

“This is one thing we can all agree on,” McCormick said. “We need to bring Americans home, but it takes leadership and focus, and that’s where I give President Trump the credit.”

Pennsylvania Democrats also gave the Trump administration its flowers Tuesday.

“After more than 3 years in Russian captivity, I join his family, our federal partners, and all of his fellow Pennsylvanians in welcoming Marc Fogel home — exactly where he belongs,” said Gov. Josh Shapiro in a statement on X. “Thank you to those at the White House who made his release possible, and to his wife Jane, mom, siblings, and kids here in Pennsylvania who never, ever gave up.”

And Fetterman, who has made a point of working across party lines with the new Trump administration, said: “Marc Fogel’s return home is long overdue — and I know all of Pennsylvania, especially his family, will be welcoming him back with open arms. I commend President Trump and Steve Witkoff for their efforts in finally bringing Marc home.”

Despite their differences, McCormick signaled there could be opportunities for Democrats and Republicans to collaborate on foreign policy in the future, pointing to his own relationship with Fetterman, who, like McCormick, is a staunch supporter of Israel.

“I’m looking to deliver on the promises that I made in the campaign to Pennsylvanians, but, you know, delivering on those promises may often require finding ways to work together with Democrats, and I’ll gladly do that in pursuit of serving Pennsylvania.”