This story was produced as part of the Colorado Capitol News Alliance. It first appeared at cpr.org.
Heading into the Democratic primary, one big issue for Democrat Simon Beer of Denver was Gaza.
“I think that the genocide is ridiculous, and the fact that so many people are just writing it off as nothing is ridiculous,” he said.
He wasn’t the only Democratic voter who cited Israel’s actions in Gaza as a key issue driving them to support democratic socialist Melat Kiros over long-time Denver incumbent U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette in the primary.
Kiros, who was fired from her law office job over a post she wrote about Israel’s actions in Gaza after Hamas’ attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, went on to win handily in the 1st Congressional District.
The Israeli government’s actions after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks have riled up a portion of the Democratic base, and the reverberations are being felt within the party from Denver to Washington, D.C., and causing a divide within the party, even if many Democratic lawmakers don’t like to describe it that way.
“We are a big tent party with a wide diverse range of views about any number of issues, both domestic and foreign policy related,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Joe Neguse of Lafayette, when asked at a news conference in July.
He’s also part of House Democratic leadership, which faced a vote that showed the stark divide within the caucus.
GOP Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky offered an amendment to strip aid to Israel out of the State Department and national security appropriations bill. Nearly half of the Democratic conference, including all of Colorado’s Democrats, voted to end foreign aid to Israel.
“This vote was a message to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu around going a different direction,” explained Democratic U.S. Rep. Brittany Pettersen of Lakewood. “This is not a vote that is reflective of whether or not people support Israel. I support the Israeli people. I support their ability to defend themselves to exist and that will never change.”
Still, it was a sea change from over two years ago, when the vast majority of House Democrats voted to provide aid to Israel, including all of Colorado’s House Democrats.
“I mean, for the longest time, support for Israel was pretty much a bipartisan consensus. And in the wake of the October 7th attacks and then Israel’s responses, we have seen Democrats, mainly Democrats, really drift away from support for Israel,” said Seth Masket, professor of political science at the University of Denver.
But that’s changed, in large part, due to the younger, more progressive wing of the party.
“It’s mostly people who have come of age politically, I guess, in the Bibi Netanyahu era,” Masket said. “They don’t have an association with Israel without him. But it’s led to a situation where it’s suddenly okay for Democrats to express a lot of problems with Israel and suddenly there’s just not that consensus anymore.”
Israel policy wedge issue for Democrats
Pettersen said Israel policy has become “an incredibly challenging topic.”
“This hits people at their core,” she told CPR News. “People are concerned about the well-being of civilians and the amount of people who have died, people who feel left behind. And in the Jewish community who want to know that we’re going to continue to support the Israeli people. This is incredibly contentious for some and heartbreaking. I think it’s important that voters know that we’re grappling with this in Congress every day. It’s not like this isn’t something that doesn’t impact us.”
She said if other countries can differentiate between America and the Trump Administration, she thinks voters should differentiate between the Netanyahu government and Israel, which is set to have elections this fall, too.
“I think that my frustration in politics in general is when you try to simplify somebody’s candidacy or views based on one thing. And this has become kind of something that is being used politically to drive a wedge. And I think it’s unfortunate these issues are incredibly complicated,” she added.
Like other Democrats, she’s faced complaints and anger from voters about funding for Israel and money she’s received from AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
On a candidate fundraising page, AIPAC removed donation buttons for Pettersen and Neguse after the amendment vote, but donations buttons are still up for Democratic U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper, and a handful of Colorado Republicans.
Hickenlooper pointed out that he voted to limit offensive weapons sales to Israel.
“I am horrified by the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and there’s no question that Netanyahu has gone too far,” he said.
“We’ll continue to call for an end to military operations in Gaza and settler violence in the West Bank, for humanitarian aid for Gaza civilians, and for Hamas to disarm,” Hickenlooper said in a statement, noting he’s committed to a two-state solution.
All this debate over Israel policy is occurring while America has seen a rise in antisemetic attacks.
DemocraticU.S. Sen. Michael Bennet said that in Colorado and across the country, Americans have to counter antisemitism and Islamophobia.
He’s also seen first hand how Israel policy has galvanized some Democratic voters. He was confronted and heckled over Gaza at public events over the last year and a half.
Like other Colorado Democrats, Bennet has asserted that Israel has a right to defend itself, like any other country.
“But, the scale and brutality of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s military response, which has resulted in the death of some 70,000 people in Gaza, cannot be justified,” he said in an email. “Democrats are increasingly united in our belief that Prime Minister Netanyahu conducted this war with appalling disregard for Palestinian life and undermined Israel’s security in the process. Supporting Israel’s right to exist and protecting the security of its people cannot require enabling the Netanyahu government’s destructive tendencies.”
Regardless of the outcome of Israel’s October election, Bennet added Democrats in Congress must work towards a two-state solution.
Democratic Rep. Jason Crow of Aurora added the status quo with regards to Israel policy is “no longer working.”
But if Israel and AIPAC donations were issues that galvanized some Democratic voters in the primary, it’s not the topic that comes up when he talks to voters.
“Coloradans I talk to are concerned about the costs of gas, groceries, housing, and healthcare,” Crow said in a statement. “They see a reckless president focused on the wrong things–starting new wars in the Middle East as they struggle to get by at home. Voters are rightfully fed up with special interests trying to buy elections.”
Masket, the University of Denver professor, said trying to walk a middle ground between Democratic voters who have expressed outrage over Gaza and those who want to ensure Israel’s right to exist is not new, nor is it always successful. Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris tried to find middle ground in 2024 – support for Israel’s security and right to self-defense, with calls for a ceasefire and increased humanitarian aid to Gaza. Harris lost the swing state of Michigan, in part, because of Israel policy.
“The problem is I think it’s an issue that doesn’t lend itself well to middle positions, but I don’t know. I guess we’ll see,” he said.
At a Democratic unity event in Denver following the primary, Kiros, who won her race in part by hammering incumbent DeGette for her support of Israel and right to defensive weapons, said the baseline goal for Democrats is protecting the dignity and safety for Palestinians and Israelis.
“But at the end of the day, the Democratic voters have made themselves clear about where they stand and a super majority of voters want to make sure that our complicity in this genocide is over and we have to come together to make sure that we can get that done,” she said.
Her position, however, has now led to a pro-Israel, anti-socialist independent challenger for the November mid-term election, throwing a tiny wrench into what should be a smooth glidepath for a the Democratic nominee in the deep blue 1st Congressional District.
