Democrats’ newfound unity faces a test after US and Israeli strikes on
Iran
[March 03, 2026]
By STEVEN SLOAN
WASHINGTON (AP) — For Democrats demoralized at being shut out of power
in Washington, the past several months have offered reason for optimism.
A party often beset by ideological division has largely been unified in
opposition to President Donald Trump's hardline immigration tactics,
particularly after two U.S. citizens were killed in Minneapolis. Heading
into a midterm election year in which they are just a few seats shy of
reclaiming the U.S. House majority, Democrats have also kept the White
House on defense with criticism of Trump's economic policies and ties to
Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted sex offender.
But the U.S. and Israeli strikes against Iran could test the durability
of that cohesion. Initially, Democrats balanced condemnation of Iran's
supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed over the weekend,
with calls for Congress to quickly pass a war powers resolution that
would restrain Trump's attack options.
“As soon as our resolution comes to the floor, senators need to pick a
side,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on Monday. “Stand
with Americans who don't want war, or stand with Donald Trump as he
singlehandedly starts another war.”
Democratic divisions going into war powers vote
But some divisions are surfacing as a handful of Democrats, especially
those who are strongly aligned with Israel, express reservations about
the war powers measure. Rep. Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, won't back an Iran
resolution. Before the strike, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., also said
he would vote no.
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who backed a war powers vote tied to
Venezuela in January, also has broken with Democrats over the Iranian
measure and rejected arguments that the attack was illegal, spurring
frustration among some party leaders.
“John Fetterman knows better,” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries
said Monday on CNN.
Republicans are also facing internal dissent. Trump, who did little to
prepare Americans for the prospect of such a dramatic conflict, said
Monday the operation could last four to five weeks. He hasn’t
articulated a clear exit strategy and warns that American casualties
could mount, which will pose a severe test of voter patience for the
conflict.
The war could also lead to rising gas prices and economic volatility
that may bolster Democratic arguments that the president is out of touch
with the financial realities facing many Americans.
Still, Republicans see an opportunity to portray Democrats as
reflexively opposed to Trump.
“For my Democratic colleagues, this is not about what's best for our
national security or what's best for protecting the American people,”
said Sen. John Kennedy, R-La. “This is about how to defeat Donald
Trump.”
A searing debate among Democrats over Israel
Democrats have undergone a searing internal debate over the party's
relationship with Israel in the wake of the war in Gaza. Then-President
Joe Biden's loyalty to Israel during the heat of the 2024 campaign was
starkly at odds with younger generations outraged by the treatment of
Palestinians in Gaza. By the time Kamala Harris rose to the top of the
ticket that year, she struggled to win over some younger voters who are
critical to Democratic success.
Paco Fabian, the political director for the progressive advocacy group
Our Revolution, acknowledged that Democrats “aren’t monolithic.” But he
also suggested a shift was underway, noting the results of a New Jersey
special election last month.
During that campaign, the affiliated super PAC of the pro-Israel
American Israel Public Affairs committee sought to thwart the moderate
candidate, Tom Malinowski, after he questioned unconditional aid to the
Israeli government. Those efforts appeared to backfire with the more
progressive contender, Analilia Mejia, winning the primary.
“Given what's going on right now, I don't think the moment is doing
AIPAC and Israel any favors,” Fabian said.
Sympathy toward Israel appears to be shifting. Three years ago, 54% of
Americans sympathized more with the Israelis, compared with 31% for the
Palestinians, according to Gallup polling released last month. Now,
their support is about evenly balanced, with 41% saying their sympathies
lie more with the Palestinians, and only 36% saying the same about the
Israelis.
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., arrives at a secure
facility in the basement of the Capitol for an intelligence briefing
with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the Iran war in Washington,
Monday, March 2, 2026. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
Americans’ initial reactions to airstrikes also appeared more
negative than positive, early polling suggested. About 6 in 10 U.S.
adults disapproved of the U.S. decision to take military action in
Iran, according to a CNN poll conducted via text message over the
weekend. A separate snap poll from The Washington Post conducted via
text message on Sunday suggested that about half of those polled
opposed the strikes, while 39% were in support. Roughly 1 in 10 were
unsure.
Democrats and independents drove much of the disapproval in those
early polls, while Republicans were much more supportive.
Elections this week could show impact of attacks
The initial political impact of the attacks in Iran could emerge as
soon as Tuesday during the first primary elections of this year’s
midterm campaign.
In North Carolina, Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam was already
going into her bid to unseat two-term Rep. Valerie Foushee with
backing from Our Revolution and other top progressives. After
receiving support from groups tied to AIPAC during her 2022
campaign, Foushee’s campaign rejected such contributions this cycle.
Over the weekend, she said she doesn’t support “Trump’s illegal war
with Iran” and would back the war powers resolution.
Still, Allam, who would be the first Muslim elected to Congress from
North Carolina, was quick to release a video ahead of Tuesday’s vote
criticizing Trump for “starting another endless war” and promising
to never accept support from “the pro-Israel lobby.”
In Texas, home to high-profile Senate primaries on Tuesday,
Democratic voters expressed alarm at the attacks.
“It shouldn't have happened,” said Charles Padmore, 45, an
independent contractor in Houston. “Affordability should be the top
priority on Trump's list.”
Alex Diaz, 31, a biology high school teacher in Houston, called the
bombing of Iran “uncalled for.”
“You’re trying to start World War III, and we don’t need that right
now,” he said.
The fallout could spread to other contests this month. Ahead of the
March 17 primary in Illinois, AIPAC-aligned groups have also
criticized Daniel Biss, the Evanston mayor who is aiming to become
the Democratic candidate to succeed the retiring Rep. Jan
Schakowsky. In an interview, Biss spoke of the “backlash I'm hearing
people have against AIPAC, their MAGA-aligned money and their
Trump-aligned policy agenda.”
Asked about such predictions, Patrick Dorton, a spokesman for
AIPAC’s affiliated super PAC, said “the key distinction will be
between those who recognize that Iran is a murderous regime that
tortures women for leaving their hair uncovered, hangs gay people,
and executes peaceful democratic protestors, and those who will turn
a blind eye to the regime’s atrocities.”
Calls for a ‘united opposition party’
As Congress moves toward a potential war powers vote this week, Biss
said there was a need for Democrats to act as a “strong, clear,
vocal, united opposition party.”
“I also would like to see the Democratic Party united not just on
the procedural argument but on the basic acknowledgment that this
war is wrong,” he added.
On Capitol Hill, Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, a Democrat
on the Armed Services Committee, said he was less concerned about
party unity than the prospect of achieving a bipartisan vote on the
war powers resolution. Three Republicans ultimately backed the
Venezuela resolution in January.
“What I want to see happen is the war powers resolution pass,” he
said. “I'm not focused on what Democrats as a whole do. We're going
to have differing opinions among Democrats and among Republicans.”
___
Associated Press journalists Linley Sanders in Washington and Juan
Lozano in Houston contributed to this report.
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