Progressive groups are preparing to primary House Democrats who voted against a War Powers resolution that could have ended President Donald Trump’s war against Iran.
“Democrats who support this war are already facing backlash not just from progressives, but from the broader Democratic base. The vast majority of the Democratic base is tired of endless military interventions,” Cavan Kharrazian, a Demand Progress senior policy advisor, told Breitbart News in a written statement.
“They want Democrats to fight Trump, not vote to authorize and pay for his disastrous forever war. By reflexively choosing war over the American people’s wishes, pro-war Democrats have found themselves on the fringes of the party.”
Kharrazian and other progressive voices spoke to Breitbart News as some progressive groups have promised to primary House Democrats that voted against the Iran War Powers resolution, which nearly passed through the House.
On Thursday, four Democrats, Reps. Henry Cueller (D-TX), Jared Golden (D-ME), Greg Landsman (D-OH), and Juan Vargas (D-CA) voted against the resolution.
“Democrats being against the War Powers resolution or trying this BS ‘compromise WPR’ are just handing a live grenade to Trump and lord knows what he does with it,” a senior House progressive aide told Breitbart News.
“They’re already preparing. If the filing deadline has passed, they’ll do it in ’28,” a senior progressive House Democrat told Axios. “It’s basically inviting a primary challenge.”
“My understanding is that if they’re doing that level of organizing now, they’re going to hold them accountable,” another House progressive told the outlet.
Progressive outlets such as Justice Democrats, MoveOn, and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, and OurRevolution are reportedly involved in the campaign to primary those who voted against the war powers resolution.
“Any Democrat that votes against war powers is supporting Trump’s war on Iran and deserves to be primaried because all voters across the political spectrum are wholeheartedly against it,” Justice Democrats Usamah Andrabi said.
OurRevolution spokesman Paco Fabian said, “When elected officials… fail to stand with working people demanding peace and accountability, they risk losing the trust of the voters who put them in office. And when that trust is broken, voters often begin looking for leaders who will fight for them.”
Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA), who represents one of the largest military concentrations in San Diego, California, said of her support for the Iran War Powers resolution:
When Presidents from both sides of the aisle have taken military action, it’s our service members, our young people, who are sent into harm’s way. They sacrifice their bodies, mental health, time with their loved ones, and even their lives — for us. And while they’re willing to make those sacrifices, we in Congress should be damn sure it’s worth it.
Too often, it’s not. Too often, wars last longer and cost more than promised. Too often, regime change plans go awry — like we’ve already seen with the deaths of 6 service members, hundreds of civilian deaths, and rising gas prices. My colleagues will try to claim that voting for this war powers resolution hurts our service members. But the opposite is true. We owe our service members a real debate before we send them into harm’s way. Voting yes is a vote for our military. To ensure that their sacrifices won’t be in vain.
While many progressives seek to end the war, believing it to be unjust, illegal, and deadly to countless American servicemen and women, some in Democrat leadership reportedly believe that a prolonged Iran conflict may benefit Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections.
Drop Site reported that a senior foreign policy aide to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said during a private press conference that many Senate Democrats believe Iran needs to be hit militarily; however, the aide reportedly said the hope was that Trump could deal with the Iranian regime while taking any political blowback for U.S. involvement, thus becoming a “win-win” for many Senate Democrats. A Schumer spokesperson disputed the reported characterization of the call.
Drop Site wrote, “Cynically, Schumer may also have the midterms in mind: If Trump manages to topple the Iranian government, the ensuing chaos could prove a drag on Trump as the country heads into the November elections.”
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