North Carolina Democrats deny Jewish Caucus formal recognition
North Carolina Democrats voted earlier this month against officially recognizing their Jewish Caucus, plunging the state party into conflict and serving as a stumbling block for members of Congress in vulnerable districts.
The Tar Heel State’s Democratic Party voted 17-16 against formally acknowledging the Jewish Caucus on Nov. 12, with 16 members — including chair Anderson Clayton and all of the state party officers — abstaining.
Steve Abrams and Irwin Orenstein, the Jewish caucus’ Durham chapter president and vice president, revealed the “shocking defeat” the next day, saying the state Democratic Party had been “hijacked by the anti-Jewish left,” according to emails obtained by Jewish Insider.
They also urged members to “suspend any interactions” with the state party and its affiliates in the email, which had a subject line that read: “North Carolina Democratic Party to Jews — Drop Dead!”
Caucus President Matt Sadinsky resigned on the same day that the vote took place in the face of allegations he had labeled an anti-Israel, progressive state caucus member a “Nazi,” the outlet reported.
He also accused the member, Nazim Uddin, of being an Iranian spy, according to audio of a phone call that was first leaked to the Charlotte Observer.
North Carolina Democrats have officially recognized their African American Caucus, LGBTQ Caucus and Coastal Caucus in past votes, according to Charlotte-based WFAE radio.
The state party said in a statement that it “is a big tent party, united by our shared values” and “believes in creating safe spaces for our many constituency communities to organize so that they may advocate for the elected officials and policies that most-impact their lives and their beliefs,” the outlet reported.
“Despite the procedural issues that caused many of the no-votes during this attempt, we remain committed to helping the Jewish Caucus achieve recognition under the NCDP. We recognize the sinister rise of antisemitism and we will continue to listen to the voices of our Jewish brothers, sisters, and friends. We stand with them and will fight every day to ensure they feel safe and welcome in North Carolina.”
“The Democrats have a brazen antisemitism problem in their party. The only members in the legislature who didn’t vote for the resolution supporting Israel were Democrats,” Mike Lonergan, communications director for North Carolina lieutenant governor Mark Robinson, said in a statement.
“The NC Democrat party refused to allow a Jewish Caucus officially into their party, and their activist base continues to march in the streets calling for exterminating the Jewish people from Israel.”
The National Republican Congressional Committee also drew attention to what Jewish state caucus members had called a “cowardly” vote, asking whether potentially vulnerable North Carolina Democratic Reps. Don Davis and Wiley Nickel “support their party’s antisemitism.”
“I’m disappointed by the executive committee’s decision to deny the Jewish Caucus’ application to become an affiliated organization of the NCDP,” Nickel told The Post in a statement.
“Now more than ever, with an unprecedented rise in antisemitic incidents and violence against Jewish people, the Jewish communities across North Carolina deserve a seat at the table. I urge the executive committee to reconsider their decision so we can stand firm and make clear that our party will not tolerate hate or antisemitism.”
Reps for Davis and the North Carolina Democratic Party did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nickel won election in the state’s 13th Congressional District, which went for former President Donald Trump by more than 30 percentage points in 2020.
Davis serves in North Carolina’s First Congressional District, which has become more competitive since redistricting.
The Cook Political Report has rated the 2024 House race as a “Democrat toss-up.”
The Democratic coalition has seen fractures nationwide since Hamas’ invasion of Israel on Oct. 7, during which terrorists slaughtered more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and at least 33 American citizens.
The Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in Gaza claims thousands of Palestinian civilians have been killed as a result of Israeli airstrikes and a ground assault in the densely packed, urban area.
The left flank of the national party has called for President Biden to demand a cease-fire between the Israel Defense Forces and Hamas, while Democratic centrists have affirmed the Jewish state’s right to eradicate the terror group.
Tensions have also erupted in the US House of Representatives in recent weeks, with 22 Democrats voting to censure “Squad” Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) for having promoted the phrase “from the river to the sea” on social media.
The full phrase, “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” is widely considered a call for the eradication of Israel.
