Resolved to end American support of Israel, North Carolina Democrats on Saturday chose a solid position sure to be tested in the 2026 midterms for candidates trying to get to the General Assembly, the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives.
North Carolinians will choose all 170 for the Legislature, a senator and 14 House members.
The State Executive Committee for the party adopted a resolution declaring Israel guilty of apartheid against Palestinians; genocide in Gaza; and using American weapons in “self defense” against hospitals, schools, homes, refugee camps, mosques, churches, journalists and humanitarian aid workers.
The resolution calls for an immediate embargo on all military aid, weapons shipments and military logistical support from the United States to Israel.
The language says the embargo would be supported until “Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and B’tselem certify that Israel is no longer engaged in apartheid rule.”
The United States has long been an ally of Israel in the Middle East, including being the first to recognize it as an independent state in 1948 under President Harry Truman.
First-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein, since the resolution was announced, has not publicly issued a press release or made a social media statement about his party. Nor have any of the Democrats in the U.S. House – Reps. Don Davis, Deborah Ross, Valerie Foushee and Alma Adams.
The other four members of the Council of State representing the North Carolina Democratic Party have also been similarly silent – Lt. Gov. Rachel Hunt, Attorney General Jeff Jackson, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall, and Education Superintendent Mo Green.
The resolution cites Gallop polling saying Democrats support Palestinian people (59%) and that Israel’s “assault on Gaza” was the primary reason (29%) that people voting for President Joe Biden did not vote in 2024. It says 62% of young Democrats “support an arms embargo.”
Democrats over a 21-year period have been in freefall with North Carolina voter registrations. On Jan. 1, 2004, the state’s more than 5 million voters were split 47.6% Democrats, 34.4% Republicans and 17.7% unaffiliated. In today’s more than 7.5 million registrations, the unaffiliated bloc has 38.3%, Democrats 30.7% and Republicans 30.4% with only 19,485 registrations separating Republicans from pulling even with Democrats.
Politicos are in consensus the lack of middle ground and “party line or else” is the biggest drivers in change for each party. Also, the context would include that better than 8 in 10 of the 38.3% registered independent do have a general or even significant lean to one of the major parties.
Republicans are 5-for-5 in U.S. Senate races since the late Kay Hagan was the last Democrat to win in 2008. And each of the last three presidential elections have gone to Republican Donald Trump in addition to no Democrat winning the state in 60 years sans once each for Barack Obama (2008) and the late Jimmy Carter (1976).
Conversely, only three Republicans since the 1900 election have become governor and no Republican since Zeb Walser in 1896 has won attorney general.
Since Israel was attacked Oct. 7, 2023, by Hamas, support for Palestine has grown in the United States, particularly in the form of protests on higher education campuses. Israel responded and the death toll has escalated to more than 55,000, most on the Palestinian side.
On June 13, Israel attacked Iranian military and nuclear facilities. On June 21, the U.S. dropped bombs on three nuclear facilities in Iran. While bumpy in introduction a week ago, Trump said Israel and Iran have a ceasefire agreement.
