Scoop: Iran strikes inject chaos into Dem primaries
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President Trump's strikes on Iran have emerged as a potent issue in Democratic congressional primaries just days after the start of military operations in the region.
Why it matters: The new internal divide threatens to add even more upheaval to a midterm campaign that has been marked by severe fractures in the Democratic coalition.
- In North Carolina, progressive House candidate Nida Allam is seizing on the issue as an 11th-hour appeal against Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-N.C.) before their March 3 primary.
- Graham Platner, the firebrand left-wing Senate candidate in Maine, organized an "emergency protest" against war in Iran on Sunday.
- Several other candidates in contested Democratic primaries have sent out fundraising appeals and other campaign messages about the issue, mostly positioning themselves against the administration.
Driving the news: In an ad first obtained by Axios, Allam slams Trump for allegedly bombing a school in Iran and "starting another endless war abroad."
- "This is reprehensible and I strongly condemn it, as should every elected official," Allam says in the ad, in which she speaks directly to the camera.
- She points to the administration's use of Claude in its strikes on Iran and the fact that Foushee's campaign has been supported by an Anthropic-funded PAC and received funds from an array of defense contractors.
- Allam adds that she will "never take a dime from defense contractors or the pro-Israel lobby" and has "opposed these forever wars my entire career," vowing to be a "proudly un-compromised, pro-peace leader."
The other side: Foushee, for her part, has voiced opposition to the strikes, writing in a post on X, "I do not support Trump's illegal war with Iran and will do everything I can in Congress to support War Powers Resolutions to stop it."
- "The American people are tired of endless wars and we cannot put our servicemembers at risk—period," she added in the post.
- Foushee's campaign did not respond to a request for comment on this story.
- The Pentagon has taken steps to blacklist Anthropic after the company refused to loosen its safeguards over how the military uses Claude.
Zoom out: Platner, who is running against Gov. Janet Mills to be the Democratic challenger to Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), has embraced the issue as a staunchly anti-interventionist Marine Corps veteran.
- His campaign touted that his Sunday anti-war rally — at which he called for a "new War Powers Act" to constrain the White House's ability to wage war unilaterally — had a "overflow crowd."
- Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), another Marine Corps veteran who has tacked to the left in his effort to primary Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), sent out a campaign email with the subject line: "I've seen this before."
- "From the moment that news broke that Donald Trump ordered strikes on Iran, I could not help but think of the parallels to the Iraq War decades ago," the email says, calling the Iran operation "another war built on lies."
Between the lines: The Trump administration's actions have proven divisive among Democratic lawmakers.
- Some centrist foreign policy hawks have praised the strikes, arguing it did more to prevent a war than start one by damaging Iran's military capabilities.
- Most progressives have voiced opposition to the intervention on its merits, saying it will suck the U.S. into another drawn out Middle East war along the lines of Iraq and Afghanistan.
- Perhaps the largest contingent of Democrats — including many in leadership — have staked out a middle ground, focusing their criticism on Trump not seeking congressional authorization.
