An under-the-radar primary in North Carolina is gaining national attention after morphing into another competitive battleground for progressives waging war against establishment Democrats, putting incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee (D-NC) at risk of losing her seat in the state’s bluest district.
The 69-year-old Foushee is facing Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam, a younger, more left-leaning candidate, in the March 3 primary. The congresswoman has been in this position before, defeating the 32-year-old Allam by nine points in the 2022 primary to replace former Rep. David Price.
The rematch reflects growing frustration with Foushee among younger, left-leaning voters who view her as insufficiently confrontational, particularly on Israel and outside political spending, in one of the safest Democratic districts in the country.
“They feel like, not that it’s now or never, but that now is a darn good time to be a progressive, and in a district that has moved this far to the left, I think they may be right,” said Chris Cooper, political science professor at Western Carolina University.
Allam, the first Muslim woman to hold elected office in North Carolina, is pitching herself as a champion who will go against the grain to advance left-leaning policies. She’s been called proudly “anti-Israel,” supports abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and has a history of incendiary tweets like one from 2013 that simply says: “F— the police.”
Allam has aggressively highlighted that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee spent over $2.1 million supporting Foushee’s 2022 bid. She’s also made much of the congresswoman’s 2024 trip to Israel, where Foushee met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Foushee has defended that trip, saying it was about fostering diplomatic relationships with a U.S. ally.
Unlike four years ago, Foushee has moved to distance herself from AIPAC this cycle.
“AIPAC has not offered financial support in the last 18 months, but if offered, the Congresswoman would decline,” a spokesperson for Foushee’s campaign told Indy Week last August. “She will not accept AIPAC contributions during the 2026 campaign.”
But that promise was undercut after it was reported that Article One PAC, a group tied to a billionaire AIPAC donor, is dropping $600,000 on media supporting Foushee.
Foushee said in a statement to the Washington Examiner that she does not coordinate with super PACs in accordance with the law.
“My voting record and continued support for legislation to stop arms sales to Israel speaks for itself,” Foushee said. “I have no control over outside expenditures.”
The race itself is being flooded with cash as David Hogg’s Leaders We Deserve PAC is spending six figures in support of Allam. Justice Democrats, a progressive group that supports Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), has also spent $380,000 backing Allam.
Foushee says she believes elections should be delivered by “the candidates’ merits and ability to deliver.”
“My opponent clearly does not feel the same way,” Foushee said of Allam. “She invited millions in out-of-state dark money into this race over the last few months and is now trying to backtrack.”
Progressives see another chance to defeat Democratic establishment
Progressives are riding high after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s win last year over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was heavily favored by establishment Democrats. They were also handed a significant victory last month when social justice activist Analilia Mejia bested former Rep. Tom Malinowski in a crowded Democratic primary for a special election in New Jersey’s 11th congressional district.
“The [North Carolina] race kind of reflects what we’re seeing in the party, where there’s this push for more of the younger generation to come in,” said Doug Wilson, a North Carolina Democratic strategist and head of Alexander Wilson Consulting.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has endorsed Allam and even traveled to North Carolina to campaign on her behalf.
Foushee, meanwhile, has the endorsement of former Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC), who is running for Senate. She’s also getting help from the Congressional Black Caucus. Rolling Sea Action Fund, a group aligned with the caucus, is already running an ad highlighting Allam’s use of a racial slur in an old X post.
The ad could potentially undercut Allam’s support in her own home base of Durham County, which has a large African American population. Allam’s campaign did not respond to multiple requests for an interview.
Despite the race being framed as an ideological battle on the Left, Foushee disputes that she is anything but a progressive. She pointed out that her caucus has endorsed her and that she has cosponsored legislation such as the Green New Deal and the Medicare for All Act.
“I want voters to know that I have been fighting and delivering progressive change for this district my entire life,” Foushee told the Washington Examiner, pointing to various successes at the state and federal levels. “My experience and track record in Congress position me to deliver the progressive change this district deserves as Democrats retake the majority.”
On the campaign trail, Foushee also touts that she’s bringing home money for the district, including $20 million for affordable housing and other community projects. Critics note that Foushee voted against one of the bills that included some of that very funding.
Allam, for her part, says that Foushee isn’t doing enough to fight President Donald Trump’s agenda.
“Folks are struggling, families are hurting, and they need their leadership in their safest blue seats to be stepping up and putting up a fight against this right-wing administration,” Allam told Spectrum News.
The winner of the primary contest is all but assured to win the general election. Former Vice President Kamala Harris carried the district by 46 percentage points in 2024.
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While Allam’s position might not be an issue for the seat, the same can’t be said for other North Carolina Democrats.
But one veteran North Carolina Republican operative, granted anonymity to speak freely, told the Washington Examiner they expect there will be efforts to try and tie Allam to Roy Cooper should she win.