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Democratic Rep. Deborah Ross<\/span> of North Carolina has pledged that she will not accept contributions from\u00a0the American Israel Public Affairs Committee<\/a>\u00a0during the 2026 midterm election cycle \u2014 after receiving more than $100,000 from the conservative pro-Israel lobby group in past elections, Ross\u2019s office confirmed to The Intercept.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ross, a moderate member of the House of Representatives, is the latest lawmaker to swear off the lobby amid sustained pressure and protest<\/a> from voters who oppose Israel\u2019s genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Her pledge closely follows that of fellow North Carolina Democrat Rep. Valerie Foushee, who\u00a0vowed not to take money from AIPAC<\/a>. Foushee was\u00a0among AIPAC\u2019s biggest recipients, having taken more than $800,000 in direct giving from AIPAC and individual donations it bundled.<\/p>\n \u201cCongresswoman Ross is not currently accepting AIPAC contributions,\u201d said a spokesperson for Ross\u2019s office in a statement to The Intercept. She further clarified that the pledge covers AIPAC contributions throughout the 2026 cycle.<\/p>\n Anti-genocide organizers viewed Ross and Foushee\u2019s anti-AIPAC pledges as evidence of a sea change within the Democratic Party.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is always good to hear someone is willing to have the courage of their convictions and not support organizations that they believe do not fully represent the interests of the U.S.\u201d said Dr. Paul McAllister, a reverend and chair of the Interfaith Caucus of the North Carolina Democratic Party who has been organizing to oppose Israel\u2019s\u00a0assault<\/a>\u00a0on Gaza. \u201cAIPAC uses the muscle of their resources to oust anyone who disagrees with them regarding Israel, the conduct of Israel and the atrocities that may be committed by the government of Israel \u2014 so it is good that Deborah Ross is willing to recognize and acknowledge that.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Ross was first elected to the House in 2020 and began taking AIPAC money in 2022. She received $41,900 from AIPAC in that cycle and an additional $97,876 for her 2024 campaign, according to campaign finance records.\u00a0<\/p>\n Her pledge comes at a time when Democratic politics in North Carolina have been divided around the issue of Israel and Palestine.\u00a0<\/p>\n In late June, the North Carolina Democratic Party passed a resolution calling for a complete arms embargo on all military aid to Israel until it ends its apartheid rule of Palestinians. The resolution won by a narrow margin \u2014 161 to 151 \u2014 and withstood pushback from the state\u2019s centrist Jewish Democrats who argued it would direct voters\u2019 attention to the party\u2019s foreign policy platform, while they wanted to focus on the economy.<\/p>\n McAllister and a broad coalition within the North Carolina Democratic Party \u2014 which includes the party\u2019s Arab, African American, LGBTQ, interfaith, Muslim, and progressive caucuses; the Jewish Democrats; and the NC Association of Teen Democrats \u2014 supported the resolution.\u00a0<\/p>\n McAllister was among five members of the coalition who met with members of Ross\u2019s office on August 19, when her staff confirmed her anti-AIPAC pledge, McAllister told The Intercept. The group also urged her office to co-sponsor the Block the Bombs to Israel Act<\/a>, a bill working its way through the House of Representatives that aims to end some weapons shipments to Israel.\u00a0<\/p>\n The bill, which had drawn 40 co-sponsors as of Thursday,\u00a0would prohibit\u00a0the Trump administration from providing Israel with specific U.S.-made weapons that the Israeli military has used in documented<\/a>\u00a0war crimes against Palestinians. <\/p>\n Ross\u2019s spokesperson declined to comment on whether she would support the legislation.<\/p>\n IfNotNow, a Jewish-led progressive organization backing Block the Bombs and helping lead the Reject AIPAC coalition<\/a>, praised Ross for rejecting the Israel lobby\u2019s dollars and called on her to co-sponsor the bill.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s great to see Rep. Ross join the growing number of Democrats who have previously welcomed AIPAC\u2019s support and are now accepting the fact that aligning with right-wing billionaires only empowers fascists like Netanyahu and Trump,\u201d said Lauren Maunus, the political director for IfNotNow. \u201cNow, we look forward to her signing on to the Block the Bombs Act.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n