As Midterms Loom, Democrats Navigate Israel’s Declining Support

Last week, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., introduced two resolutions aimed at blocking additional arms sales to Israel.

The legislation was rejected, but gained more support than ever before. Twenty-four Democratic senators voted to stop further bomb shipments to Israel, while 27 voted against more deliveries of assault rifles.

Sanders introduced similar resolutions in April and last November. Eighteen senators backed the November effort, and just 15 senators voted in favor of them in April.

Sanders’ recent resolutions come amid a starvation crisis in Gaza and increasing criticisms of Israel’s government from Democratic politicians, many of whom are generally stalwart supporters of the apartheid state.

Even Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., one of Israel’s staunchest defenders, has recently expressed criticisms of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

“All parties, including the U.S. and Israel, have a moral obligation to do everything in our power to ease the hardship and hunger that’s taken hold in the Gaza Strip,” said Torres in a recent interview.

It’s impossible to envision Torres shifting his position on Israel (in the same interview, he reaffirms the fact that he is “an unapologetic Zionist”), but, as Politico notes, “it signifies how moderate Democrats are backing away from the unqualified support for the Jewish state that’s underscored the party for decades.”

With the midterms approaching, it’s no wonder that lawmakers are modifying their position on the issue, as polling has consistently affirmed that Israel is vastly unpopular among Democratic voters. A recent Gallup survey shows that just 8% of Democratic voters support Israel’s military actions in Gaza and only 9% of Democrats have a favorable view of Netanyahu.

In the pro-Israel Jewish Insider, Josh Kraushaar writes that Sanders’ “votes have become a pivotal test in determining which members have maintained their support for Israel, and those who are responding to the political pressure from the party’s progressive activist base.”

Kraushaar cites the case of Michigan Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow, who had previously assured pro-Israel groups that she supported the country.

In recent weeks, McMorrow has publicly criticized Netanyahu’s government and called for the U.S. to stop providing Israel with offensive weapons.

On the campaign trail last year, Sen. Angela Alsobrooks, D-Md., said she would oppose any effort to condition weapons sales to Israel. However, she voted for both of the Sanders resolutions.

“Netanyahu and his government must immediately change course. I remain committed to the U.S.-Israel relationship and my belief that the people of Israel have a right to defend themselves. In this moment, we must all do everything in our power as a global community to get desperately needed aid to the people of Gaza,” Alsobrooks said in a statement.

Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., a longtime supporter of Israel and ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, voted against Sanders’ previous resolutions, but for the most recent pair.

Reed has recently openly questioned why Israel has failed to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza.

“The facts on the ground are that militarily, they have significant tactical advantages and are sufficient enough to be able to effectively deliver food,” he said. “So the question arises, why can’t you get food in there and health care services, and basically follow humanitarian laws?”

Democratic politicians have also been forced to wrestle with Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral primary victory in New York City.

Mamdani, who is expected to win the general election, publicly supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and openly refers to Israel’s actions in Gaza as a genocide.

Many local leaders, such as New York Democratic Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, have praised Mamdani’s impressive campaign but refrained from endorsing him.

“New York City, I love you. You’re my neighbor. You’re about 10 miles from where I live. You guys figure out your elections. I’m going to focus on mine,” Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., recently told a reporter who asked whether he would back Mamdani.

However, multiple Democrats from the party’s liberal wing are already hailing Mamdani as a model for future victories.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., recently swung by New York City in support of the mayoral candidate. She also wrote a Rolling Stone op-ed praising Mamdani’s vision for New York.

Warren doesn’t mention Israel, but she clearly doesn’t see Mamdani’s stance as an electoral detriment.

A recent Data for Progress survey backs up her assumption. A poll of New York City Democratic primary voters found that 78% of them say Israel is carrying out a genocide, and 63% say the city should enforce the arrest warrant against Netanyahu. Sixty-three percent say they support Mamdani’s candidacy.

These shifts coincide with a growing anxiety among pro-Israel Democrats over the declining support for the country.

Last month, Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) President Brian Romick put out a statement lamenting a number of “troubling developments” in the Democratic Party.

They included Mamdani’s primary win, Democratic leaders backing an arms embargo resolution in North Carolina, and the National Education Association voting to cut all ties with the Anti-Defamation League.

“None of these incidents occurred in isolation. Together, they reflect a troubling pattern: the erosion of core pillars of the Democratic Party and the marginalization of pro-Israel voices across the progressive landscape,” Romnick wrote.

In a recent appearance on the “Israel from the Inside” podcast, pro-Israel Democratic strategist and former Hillary Clinton communications director Howard Wolfson declared that “the war for hearts and minds [over support for Israel] has been lost.”

Wolfson said he has been “clanging the alarm bell as loudly as I can and hoping that the Israeli public and the decision-makers in Israel understand how far Israel has fallen in public approval in the United States and what the implications of that are.”

It’s hard to envision some changed tones adding up to actual policy shifts, but Wolfson’s concerns may prove to be valid in the long run.

On the popular “Pod Save America” podcast, former Obama staffer Tommy Vietor told listeners that the Democratic party is in need of a “total mindset change” on Israel.

“When the war ends, we are not going back to the pre-October 7th status quo, because it’s not where the party is. It’s not where the world is,” Vietor said. “We are not going to shovel billions a year in military aid. We’re not going to veto every effort to recognize a Palestinian state at the U.N. We should not take money from AIPAC.

“I will hold out hope for better political leadership in the U.S. and in Israel, but we have to also recognize that the Biden-era, hug-Bibi-Netanyahu strategy has to be thrown in the trash can for f—ing ever,” he added.