The recent U.S. military operation against Iran is adding fuel to an already contentious Democratic debate surrounding Israel, just as primary season heats up.
This joint military action by the U.S. and Israel has thrust their relationship into the spotlight of national political discourse, placing organizations like the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which lauded President Donald Trump’s actions, at the forefront of the Democratic primaries where it is heavily investing its resources.
Key races, including a heated House contest in North Carolina happening this Tuesday, additional contests in Illinois in two weeks, and an already fractious Michigan Senate primary, are being significantly influenced by the escalating tensions regarding Israel’s military actions in Gaza, compounded by outrage over the financial clout of pro-Israel organizations.
“Palestine has become a litmus test in the party,” remarked Matt Duss, a former foreign policy adviser to Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and executive vice president at the progressive think tank Center for International Policy. “This is particularly evident in the Michigan and Illinois primaries, where candidates are being pressured to recognize the situation in Gaza as genocide and to reject AIPAC donations. This trend is likely to intensify as we approach the 2028 presidential primary, especially with the ongoing conflict in Iran amplifying these issues.”
AIPAC’s involvement has already disrupted several elections in Illinois, where pro-Israel groups have poured nearly $14 million into four House races in anticipation of the state’s mid-March primary. In North Carolina, discussions about Israel are heating up as Democratic Representative Valerie Foushee seeks reelection. Meanwhile, Michigan’s pivotal three-way Democratic Senate race is rife with disagreements among candidates over their stances on Israel, with local political figures expressing concern that AIPAC’s influence could tilt the race in favor of a Republican candidate for the first time since 1994.
“The conflict in Iran heightens the risk that AIPAC’s interference will lead to the election of a candidate who is most critical of war and Israel, much like what happened in my district,” said former Representative Tom Malinowski (D-N.J.), who recently lost a contentious primary to now-Representative Analilia Mejia, a far more vocal critic of Israel, after AIPAC spent over $2 million against him to elevate a more pro-Israel candidate.
In a statement released Saturday, AIPAC reaffirmed its support for the U.S.-Israel strikes, describing them as “decisive action against the terror-supporting regime in Iran.” The organization’s super PAC, United Democracy Project, reported almost $100 million in its coffers at the end of January and plans to actively participate in numerous races this year, spanning both Democratic and Republican primaries.
“Candidates opposing Israel should be aware that we are closely scrutinizing their races,” said United Democracy Project spokesperson Patrick Dorton. “Our objective is to ensure a robust bipartisan pro-Israel majority in Congress, regardless of which party holds power, and we are singularly focused on electing pro-Israel candidates in this election year.”
Maurice Mitchell, national director of the Working Families Party, stated that Democrats will need to confront the implications of AIPAC’s financial support during the primaries. “Any Democrat who accepts AIPAC funds will face scrutiny,” he asserted. “How can they advocate for peace while receiving backing from billionaires who support this war?”
Initially, the Iran strikes did not fracture the Democratic coalition as profoundly as Israel’s conflict in Gaza has in recent years, with most party members accusing Trump of exacerbating Middle Eastern tensions, although divergences in views on subsequent actions began to emerge.
“No one wants to be seen as siding with Iran, and generally, Democrats agree that the president must clarify his strategy and intended outcomes,” said Brian Romick, president of Democratic Majority for Israel, an organization backing pro-Israel Democrats.
Several Democratic strategists believe it’s premature to assess how prominently the issue of Iran will feature in voters’ minds in the months leading up to the presidential election.
“Trump campaigned against wars like these, and his close collaboration with Israel might influence ongoing debates in the primary,” noted David Axelrod, a veteran Democratic strategist. “However, the real question is the duration and impact of this conflict. The longer and more costly it becomes, the deeper the discussions will be.”
AIPAC’s Heavy Investment in Illinois
Nowhere is the shadow of Iran more pronounced than in Illinois, where the primary is just weeks away on March 17.
Democratic strategists in the state anticipate that the Iranian conflict will draw attention to Congress’s role and the broader implications of its alliance with Israel.
“This isn’t merely about Israel and Gaza anymore,” commented an Illinois political consultant who requested anonymity due to ongoing campaign work. “This is about aligning with Israel to engage in a widespread conflict in the Middle East with far-reaching consequences.”
An AIPAC-affiliated super PAC has already invested over $1 million to support state Senator Laura Fine and challenge one of her significant primary opponents, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, in the race to succeed retiring Representative Jan Schakowsky.
Biss and Fine’s other challengers have openly criticized AIPAC’s involvement. He issued a detailed statement on Saturday condemning Trump and Netanyahu for “dragging America into another reckless, illegal regime change war.”
A different AIPAC-linked organization is preparing to target progressive activist and digital strategist Kat Abughazaleh, a Palestinian American.
In an interview, Abughazaleh emphasized that the Iranian conflict will be a central focus in the final weeks of her campaign. “We will address this issue frequently, as it resonates deeply with voters for various reasons—whether related to tax dollars, familial ties to Iran, humanitarian concerns, or fears of being drawn into a perpetual war against their will,” she stated.
While the situation in Iran is distinct from Israel’s conflict in Gaza, Democrats showed a surprising level of unity in their opposition immediately following Trump’s military action, including those with AIPAC backing.
Following the attack, Fine publicly called for Trump’s impeachment, cautioning that he “is leading us into another military conflict to distract from his own failures, jeopardizing American lives and risking further chaos in the Middle East.”
Congressional candidates Donna Miller in the 2nd District and Melissa Conyears-Ervin in the 7th, both supported by AIPAC-aligned committees, denounced the attacks as “reckless” and “immoral,” respectively. Meanwhile, Melissa Bean, backed by an AIPAC-aligned group in the 8th District, asserted that “Congress has the exclusive authority to authorize acts of war.”
North Carolina’s Pivotal Primary
This Tuesday’s primaries in North Carolina will serve as an early barometer of how Democratic primary voters are weighing the issue of Israel.
Representative Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.) was first elected to her seat in 2022 with AIPAC’s support, as its super PAC contributed over $2.1 million to assist her victory. However, in 2025, Foushee declared she would no longer accept funding from the pro-Israel organization.
“Examine my voting record to see how I’ve voted on issues concerning the people of Gaza,” she stated during an August town hall meeting.
Dorton, the spokesperson for the AIPAC-affiliated super PAC, noted, “Foushee has rejected AIPAC’s backing, and we are not involved in her race.”
Nevertheless, Foushee’s primary opponent, Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, has criticized Foushee for not being sufficiently assertive on Israel. A new super PAC developed to counter AIPAC from the left has also invested heavily in support of Allam.
Allam claimed that Trump’s “illegal and reckless war” in Iran “will be on voters’ minds as they approach the ballot box on Tuesday.”
Foushee was quick to denounce Trump’s “illegal war with Iran,” asserting that her “record and support for legislation aimed at halting arms sales to Israel speaks for itself.”
“It is evident to me and my constituents that the Netanyahu government’s indiscriminate killing of Palestinians cannot persist,” she added.
Israel’s Central Role in Michigan’s Politics
The conflict in Gaza has already become a focal point in the three-way Democratic contest to replace retiring Senator Gary Peters in Michigan, a state with the highest percentage of Arab-American residents in the nation. More than 100,000 voters opted for “uncommitted” instead of supporting then-President Joe Biden during the 2024 primary due to his administration’s backing of Israel.
Layla Elabed, a founder of the Uncommitted movement and currently leading the progressive Arab Americans for Progress, stated that Democrats “do not want to see their dollars continue funding Israel’s genocide and the current war on Iran, particularly without congressional approval.”
She emphasized that Trump’s attack on Iran underscores the necessity for Democrats to elect candidates who will “stand up to pro-war lobbies like AIPAC, which have funneled money from right-wing MAGA donors into our Democratic primaries here in Michigan.”
Representative Haley Stevens, who has previously received AIPAC’s support, remarked that Trump “has once again endangered Americans without consulting Congress,” but cautioned that a nuclear Iran “would escalate violence and chaos throughout the Middle East and beyond.”
Conversely, her opponents in the August primary adopted a different stance. State Senator Mallory McMorrow criticized the president for “choosing war abroad at the expense of our domestic issues,” while physician Abdul El-Sayed, the most progressive candidate in the race, declared that “this war must end” and called for holding Trump accountable.
Brakkton Booker contributed to this article.
