Anti-war candidates pose early test for US Democrats after attacks on Iran
Al Jazeera
Vowing to abolish ICE, reset US-Israel policy and put workers first, candidates say Democrats need ‘unapologetic’ voices.
A punishing 2024 election cycle for US Democrats has accelerated a years-long debate over the party’s future and what voters want in a political age dominated by United States President Donald Trump.
In two early primary races for US congressional seats, 32-year-old Nida Allam and 26-year-old Kat Abughazaleh hope to provide an answer, with both launching brazen progressive campaigns built on unapologetic stances calling for the abolishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a hard reset of US policy amid Israel’s genocidal war in Gaza, the reversal of a rights backslide, and worker-first policies.
In the wake of the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, and Iran’s resulting strikes on countries across the region, the pair have also vowed to grow anti-war voices in Congress calling for checks on Trump’s power.
Their success will not only take the temperature of Democratic voters in the US, but could also send a message to party leadership still strategising how it will approach a deeply consequential midterm season. The November vote will decide which major US party – Democrat or Republican – controls the House of Representatives and Senate, and in turn, the shape of the latter half of Trump’s second term.
Up first will be Allam, whose March 3 primary for North Carolina’s fourth congressional district, a tech and research hub that includes the city of Durham, pits her against Representative Valerie Foushee.
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