On Tuesday, voters will decide whether the Democrats take back Congress, or if Republicans retain control. Throughout this election cycle, there has been one constant issue for Democrats. Israel and the conflict in the Middle East.
The emergence of this issue traces its roots back to the new wave of progressive Democrats elected to the House of Representatives in 2018 with notable examples of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar who argued against excessive aid to Israel and other foreign entities. While these progressives didn’t have much impact, they ignited the fire for such sentiments in the Democratic party, which was later fueled by the 2025 Democratic primaries for the New York City mayoral election. During the June 5 debate, the candidates were asked where they would make their first trip as New York City mayor. Out of the nine candidates on stage, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was one of three who said they would go to Israel as their first visit. Cuomo said, “Given the hostility and the antisemitism that has been shown in New York, I would go to Israel”. Zohran Mamdani then flipped the script by saying, “My plans are to address New Yorkers across the five boroughs”.
This answer drew widespread attention and criticism from many pro-Israel groups, who condemned his as remarks antisemitic and questioned his ability to serve as mayor of a city with the largest Jewish community in the United States. Despite this, Mamdani won the primary election with 56.4% of the vote and the general election with 50.8% of the vote, which made him the first Muslim mayor in New York City history and the youngest in over a century.
This election ignited a spark within the Democratic Party where an increasing number of its base started to shift its view on Israel and the ongoing war in Gaza, with many arguing that Israel was committing a genocide against Palestinians. A prominent group of these progressive Democrats are the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). The DSA gained traction during the 2016 presidential campaign of Bernie Sanders and has been growing ever since. Now, it is having a significant influence over the 2026 midterm elections. The DSA was one of the first groups to denounce Israel’s actions after the October 7th attacks and called them genocidal on October 14th, 2023.
Progressive Democrats have been challenging the establishment’s position on unconditionally supporting Israel over the last few years, mostly because of the influence that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has on primary elections through campaign donations. These progressives in turn have made the issue of Israel central to their campaign as more and more Americans withdraw their support; with 46% supporting Israel in 2023 compared to 33% supporting in 2026. This shift is specifically highlighted within the younger generation of the Democratic Party with 84% of voters under the age of 50 having an unfavorable view of Israel.
This then moves us to the 2026 midterm election cycle, where the Democratic primaries were often requesting each candidate’s position on Israel and military aid to it. The most prominent example of this was in the Michigan Senate primaries between Abdul El-Sayed and Haley Stevens. Stevens received about 30 million dollars in funding from AIPAC for her campaign; meanwhile, El-Sayed came out against AIPAC, saying “for too long, our foreign policy has been handed to us by the likes of the state of Israel and AIPAC.”El-Sayed ended up winning that primary with 48.5% of the vote compared to Stevens’s 47.5%.
This was not the only primary where such opposition won against the establishment, though. There were also three progressive Democrats in New York City endorsed by Mamdani who won their primaries against opponents that campaigned on the promise of opposing Israel. In addition, Melat Kiros in Colorado unseated a 30-year incumbent on the same promise as well in her primary.
Today, Democratic candidates are increasingly forced to discuss their positions on Israel by younger voters, instead of only being able to focus on the economy and President Donald Trump with older generations. Moving forward, these candidates won’t be able to focus on Donald Trump for long and will eventually have to come face to face with the issue and settle their position once and for all.
Julian Kusnierz is a weightlifter, musician, and writer for On the Record. He is a freshman and studies Public Policy in the College.