democratic primary contests in New Hampshire have made opposition to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and criticism of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) a prominent theme, with candidates seeking to appeal to primary voters by staking out tougher stances toward Israel’s government and its U.S. supporters.
- Israel’s government and AIPAC became central topics in multiple New Hampshire democratic primary debates.
- Candidates vary between affirming Israel’s right to self‑defense and blaming Israeli policy for the Gaza conflict.
- Polls cited showed Rep. Chris Pappas leading Karishma Manzur and Maggie Goodlander leading her primary opponent before the vote.
Lead: Israel and AIPAC dominate debates ahead of Tuesday’s primary
In the days before New Hampshire’s primary, debates and campaign appearances repeatedly returned to criticism of Israel’s leadership and the role of pro‑Israel lobbying, according to reporting by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Candidates across multiple House and Senate contests emphasized differing views on how U.S. policy should respond to the war in Gaza and the conduct of Netanyahu’s government.
Who’s running and where the issues surfaced
The JTA coverage identifies three contests where the Israel question became especially prominent:
- A House nomination contest between incumbent Maggie Goodlander and state lawmaker Paige Beauchemin.
- A separate multi‑candidate House primary whose frontrunners were former Marine Capt. Maura Sullivan and former city councilor Stefany Shaheen.
- The Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, in which U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas faces progressive challenger Karishma Manzur.
Reporting notes that while many candidates share strong criticisms of Netanyahu, their broader positions vary: some affirm Israel’s right to defend itself, while others place primary blame for the conflict on Israeli policies.
Selected campaign positions and exchanges
Chris Pappas, the House member seeking the Senate nomination, told a WMUR debate audience that “Benjamin Netanyahu’s got to go,” calling Netanyahu an unreliable U.S. partner and accusing him of perpetuating cycles of violence. Pappas also said he supports a two‑state solution and backing for Palestinians’ security and humanitarian needs, and described wanting Israel’s military to withdraw from Gaza as part of sustaining a fragile ceasefire.
Pappas has not taken a clear public vote position in Congress on an amendment to cut $3.3 billion in annual aid to Israel; he was recorded as being “present” for that House vote. He said that, if in the Senate, he would have supported legislation by Sen. Bernie Sanders that sought to restrict certain arms sales to Israel, describing those proposals as intended to prevent delivery of heavy munitions and equipment.
Challenger Karishma Manzur pressed more pointed critiques of Israel’s government. According to JTA reporting, Manzur called Netanyahu “addicted to killing” and accused him of using U.S. resources to pursue his agenda, and she said U.S. policy should not be directed by what she termed the whims of a “foreign genocidal government.” When asked about earlier remarks reportedly questioning Israel’s response to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, Manzur first expressed uncertainty about the exact wording of her past comments and then framed the conflict as rooted in a century of hostilities rather than a single event.
In the House contest, incumbent Maggie Goodlander affirmed Israel’s right to defend itself at a recent debate and stated that Israel has a right to exist while also criticizing Netanyahu’s government as disconnected from democratic values and U.S. interests.
Analysis: what this says about Democratic primaries and voter priorities
Observers quoted in the reporting see these exchanges as part of a broader pattern in Democratic primaries nationwide, where candidates seek to demonstrate to primary voters that they are tougher on Netanyahu, AIPAC and— in some cases—Israel’s policies. Jeff Robbins, a Boston attorney and former Senate investigative counsel, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that in many Democratic primaries “Israel has become the bogeyman for Democratic voters” and that some challengers have risen by promoting opposition to support for Israel.
The dynamic reflects tensions within the Democratic electorate: younger and progressive voters have pressured candidates to adopt stricter stances toward Israel’s government and U.S. military support, while other Democrats continue to stress Israel’s security needs and the need to distinguish between criticism of Israeli policy and antisemitism. Candidates and commentators in New Hampshire explicitly addressed the challenge of drawing that line.
Polls and the state of the races
JTA cited a late‑August University of New Hampshire Granite State Poll showing Pappas leading Manzur 47% to 34% among likely primary voters. The same poll placed Goodlander “far ahead” of Beauchemin, at 59% to 19%, while Sullivan and Shaheen were described as statistically tied at 24% and 19% respectively.
Implications for general election and national politics
New Hampshire’s primaries are being watched as part of a broader Democratic effort to win back control of Congress. The prominence of Israel policy in these races may affect general‑election dynamics in several ways: it could help progressive challengers consolidate energized primary bases, complicate party unity going into the fall, or prompt nominees to recalibrate messaging to appeal to a wider electorate in November, where voters often split tickets.
How nominees navigate the tension between primary voters’ demand for sharper criticism of Israeli policy and general‑election voters’ expectations for steady U.S.‑Israel relations will be a test for campaigns in a state known for independents and ticket‑splitting.
Unresolved questions and next steps
- How primary nominees will adjust their positions and rhetoric on Israel and AIPAC post‑primary is unclear from the reporting.
- Whether the prominence of Israel policy in primaries improves or weakens Democrats’ prospects in November in New Hampshire remains to be seen.
- Voter reactions at the polls Tuesday will provide concrete evidence about how central these issues were to primary decisions.
Reporting for this article was based on coverage by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Exact phrases quoted in the article are drawn from that reporting.