Moderate North Carolina Democrat Won’t Take AIPAC Cash for 2026

Democratic Rep Deborah Ross of North Carolina has pledged that she will not accept contributions from the American Israel Constituents Affairs Committee during the midterm voting cycle after receiving more than from the conservative pro-Israel lobby group in past elections Ross s office ratified to The Intercept Ross a moderate member of the House of Representatives is the latest lawmaker to swear off the lobby amid sustained pressure and protest from voters who oppose Israel s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza Her pledge closely follows that of fellow North Carolina Democrat Rep Valerie Foushee who vowed not to take money from AIPAC Foushee was among AIPAC s biggest recipients having taken more than in direct giving from AIPAC and individual donations it bundled Congresswoman Ross is not now accepting AIPAC contributions noted a spokesperson for Ross s office in a declaration to The Intercept She further clarified that the pledge covers AIPAC contributions throughout the cycle Anti-genocide organizers viewed Ross and Foushee s anti-AIPAC pledges as evidence of a sea change within the Democratic Party It is invariably good to hear someone is willing to have the courage of their convictions and not endorsement organizations that they believe do not fully represent the interests of the U S declared Dr Paul McAllister a reverend and chair of the Interfaith Caucus of the North Carolina Democratic Party who has been organizing to oppose Israel s assault on Gaza AIPAC uses the muscle of their materials to oust anyone who disagrees with them regarding Israel the conduct of Israel and the atrocities that may be committed by the regime of Israel so it is good that Deborah Ross is willing to recognize and acknowledge that Ross was first elected to the House in and began taking AIPAC money in She received from AIPAC in that cycle and an additional for her campaign according to campaign finance records Her pledge comes at a time when Democratic politics in North Carolina have been divided around the issue of Israel and Palestine In late June the North Carolina Democratic Party passed a resolution calling for a complete arms embargo on all military aid to Israel until it ends its apartheid rule of Palestinians The resolution won by a narrow margin to and withstood pushback from the state s centrist Jewish Democrats who argued it would direct voters attention to the party s foreign plan platform while they demanded to focus on the financial market McAllister and a broad coalition within the North Carolina Democratic Party which includes the party s Arab African American LGBTQ interfaith Muslim and progressive caucuses the Jewish Democrats and the NC Association of Teen Democrats supported the resolution McAllister was among five members of the coalition who met with members of Ross s office on August when her staff substantiated her anti-AIPAC pledge McAllister advised The Intercept The group also urged her office to co-sponsor the Block the Bombs to Israel Act a bill working its way through the House of Representatives that aims to end selected weapons shipments to Israel Related Even Former AIPAC Democrats Are Signing On to Block Arms Sales to Israel The bill which had drawn co-sponsors as of Thursday would prohibit the Trump administration from providing Israel with specific U S -made weapons that the Israeli military has used in documented war crimes against Palestinians Ross s spokesperson declined to comment on whether she would backing the statute IfNotNow a Jewish-led anti-Zionist organization backing Block the Bombs and helping lead the Reject AIPAC coalition praised Ross for rejecting the Israel lobby s dollars and called on her to co-sponsor the bill It s great to see Rep Ross join the growing number of Democrats who have previously welcomed AIPAC s encouragement and are now accepting the fact that aligning with right-wing billionaires only empowers fascists like Netanyahu and Trump disclosed Lauren Maunus the political director for IfNotNow Now we look forward to her signing on to the Block the Bombs Act Foushee is co-sponsoring the bill as are at least two other lawmakers who previously received AIPAC money Rep Veronica Escobar D-Texas who received from AIPAC in and Rep Jonathan Jackson D-Ill who took in and At least three other representatives who are also AIPAC recipients have made statements in patronage of blocking arms to Israel in contemporary weeks but have yet to sign on to the Block the Bombs bill That list now includes Oregon Democrats Maxine Dexter and Suzanne Bonamici and the majority in recent days Rep Adam Smith of Washington state a leading moderate Democrat in Congress and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee Related A Purely Manmade Famine How Israel Is Starving Gaza On Tuesday Smith revealed he supported blocking the sale of several weapons now to Israel to compel the country to enact a ceasefire allow a flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza and halt its expansion of illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank Smith has received more than in contributions from AIPAC since including in finance records announced After decades of lobbying on the Hill AIPAC which includes Republican billionaires within its donor stream began directly funding congressional elections in It spent millions last cycle unseating Democrats who have been critical of Israel largest part notably progressive former lawmakers Rep Jamaal Bowman of New York and Rep Cori Bush of Missouri The post Moderate North Carolina Democrat Won t Take AIPAC Cash for appeared first on The Intercept