In April 2026, Democratic candidate Dorothy McAuliffe conducted a survey with a question that would likely not have been asked in a Democratic primary two years ago: Should the United States stop selling weapons to Israel? The survey highlighted the speed at which the American-Israeli alliance shifted from a bipartisan consensus to a major divisive issue, dividing the two parties.
Nearly half of Republicans (47%) and three-quarters of Democrats (72%) viewed support for Israel as a source of problems within their respective parties, according to a CNN survey conducted in late March. Some Democrats and Republicans are now campaigning on the promise to end foreign aid to Israel. The Washington Post has covered the situation in an article.
Favorable opinions towards Israel are more common among Democrats, but they are increasing in both parties, especially among young people. According to a Washington Post-ABC News-Ipsos survey conducted in late April, 47% of Americans believe the United States supports Israel too much, more than double the 18% recorded in a Pew Research Center survey in 2015. Since 2015, this opinion has increased among Democrats (from 26% to 66%), independents (from 20% to 51%), and Republicans (from 7% to 22%).
The partisan divide aligns with a generational divide. While only 24% of Republicans or those close to Republicans over 50 years old had a very or somewhat favorable opinion of Israel in a Pew Research Center survey conducted in March, this number rose to 57% among 18-49-year-old right-wing individuals. By comparison, 84% of Democrats under 50 and 76% of Democrats 50 and older had a favorable opinion of Israel.
A national survey conducted last year among Republicans by the conservative Manhattan Institute revealed that anti-Israel and anti-Semitic views were more prevalent among young voters and newcomers to Donald Trump’s coalition than among traditional voters.
“The true core of Israel’s supporters consists of Republicans over 50. It is not a sustainable political coalition,” said Matt Duss, former adviser to Bernie Sanders and current member of the progressive think tank Center for International Policy. He added that Democrats are adopting smart and courageous positions that are becoming increasingly politically viable.
Already outraged by the Israeli war in Gaza, Democrats have started using Israel’s role in the war against Iran to attack President Donald Trump and Republicans. Forty Democratic senators voted last month in favor of a resolution by Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent from Vermont) to block arms sales to Israel, compared to 27 in July for a similar measure.
External groups supporting Israel have become a political liability for candidates they endorse in House and Senate elections across the country, particularly in Michigan, a crucial state for Democratic hopes of gaining control of the Senate.
“What America wants, unfortunately, the leaders of both parties have not listened,” said Adam Hamawy, a war surgeon who volunteered in Gaza. “If they want to be elected or re-elected in the upcoming elections, you will see more and more people criticizing Israel than before.”
On the right, Donald Trump faces backlash from supporters who claim that the war against Iran contradicts his “America First” slogan. Some Republican primary candidates, with slim chances of success, base their campaigns on open hostility towards Israel.
“We can criticize Russia, no one objects. We can criticize Ukraine, no one objects. We can criticize the Vatican,” said James Fishback, a candidate in the Republican primary for governor of Florida, running a campaign that appeals to the most extremist faction of the Republican Party. “We should not engage in anyone’s wars.”
