Frustrations between the U.S. and Israeli governments spilled into the open this week as President Donald Trump moved this week toward settling the war in Iran. On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance warned Israeli critics of the deal against “attacking the only powerful ally” the country has left in the world.
Politically, attitudes toward Israel have been steadily shifting even before then and it’s particularly apparent among Democrats, including in Minnesota.
On stage at last month's Minnesota DFL convention in Rochester, three state auditor candidates were asked: “Would you use your seat on the State Board of Investment to push other State Board of Investment members to divest from countries committing war crimes and crimes against humanity?”
Auditor candidates Dan Wolgamott, Adam Jennings and Zack Filipovich all agreed with the calls to divest, though none of them mentioned Israel by name. Many on the progressive left want the board of top Minnesota officials to sell off Israeli assets; organizers have repeatedly pressed for that action at public hearings.
“We need to make sure that our dollars, our public dollars, and our pension dollars are not going to fuel war and genocide and human rights abuses from across the world,” said Filipovich, who won the party’s backing in the open auditor race.
The race is just one where stances on Israel come up with greater frequency. Within the DFL, feelings toward Israel are frostier.
A punishing military response in Gaza after a Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, has fed into the shift as has Israel’s role in the extended military campaign in Iran and its parallel strikes in Lebanon.
In the open 2nd Congressional District, DFL-endorsed candidate Matt Little did not hold back on the issue. He spoke at the state party convention.
“The truth is, what's happening in Gaza is a genocide,” Little said, criticizing U.S. support for Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government. “And so let us be bold and brave and stop sending weapons to Netanyahu.”
Little is among several Democrats vying to fill the swing district seat. An August primary featuring Little, state Rep. Kaela Berg, state Sen. Matt Klein and three others will decide the nominee. The winner will face GOP state Sen. Eric Pratt in November.
To be clear, those convention displays don't represent all Democrats in Minnesota.
Nonetheless, Ethan Roberts, the deputy executive director with the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, said he’s sensing a change in tone.
"We are seeing a shift where I wouldn't say that Jews are becoming Republicans, but I would say that Jews are increasingly feeling politically homeless,” Roberts said. “Maybe more identifying as independent, and definitely more likely to support candidates rather than parties."
Polling shows that American views of Israel have turned more negative. A poll released in April by the Pew Research Center found that eight in 10 Democrats or Democratic-leaning independents have an unfavorable view of Israel. Disfavor among Republicans is also growing but is not as pronounced, with 41 percent overall having a negative view and 57 percent of Republicans between the ages of 18 and 49 having a negative view.
Roberts said there is room for criticism of policy or military decision by Israeli leaders.
“I think there is a difference in kind and not degree if the criticism is about tactics or particular decisions made by the government, that's something that's broadly shared among Israelis,” Roberts said. “That is completely different than not just believing — but like a foundational part of your identity or your movement — is that Israel should not exist.”
Other long-time supporters of Israel among Minnesota Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and U.S. Rep. Angie Craig, have criticized Israeli tactics in its military campaigns. Both called on the Israeli government to allow more humanitarian aid to Gaza. Klobuchar is running for governor, which would make her a member of the state investment board. Craig is running for U.S. Senate but faces Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in a DFL primary.
St. Olaf College political science professor Dan Hofrenning remembers how Kamala Harris attempted to “thread a needle” between support for Israel and respect for citizens of Gaza during her 2024 presidential run. He's seen criticism of Israel grow since then.
Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza “has emerged as a huge fault line in the Democratic Party, maybe as big as NAFTA was in the 90s, or civil rights was in the 1960s,” he said. “That is, they were issues that really divided the party and I think time will tell how that will go now.”
Hofrenning said he expects politicians to follow what those recent polls found.
“Those poll numbers suggest that in the future I think leading Democratic politicians will be critical of Israel in ways they haven't been before,” he said. ”I think also the numbers on the Republican side suggest that supporting Israel might not be a winning issue for Republicans either.”
Klobuchar, Craig, U.S. Rep. Kelly Morrison and Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison all attended a recent annual JCRC event, Roberts said. He takes that as a sign that there is still strong support from Democrats in the state for the Jewish community.
“So if there had been this complete about-face on where all of these mainstream Democrats who have always supported Israel's right to exist and defend itself had changed their mind on that, they wouldn't come to our event,” he said.