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Sign this PetitionMoveOn Launches Primary Campaign to Boot Dems Backed By Defense Contractors, AIPAC, and AI
Kicks off with Lander endorsement for NY-10
Issues memo to Dem Party leaders to end ties with war hawks
WASHINGTON – Citing the unpopularity of the costly Iran war, and the rise of dark money interests attempting to shape the party and policy, MoveOn has launched a campaign to further toxify candidates backed by war hawks. As reported in POLITICO Playbook, the organization released a memo to urge the DNC, DSCC, and DCCC to stop accepting contributions from pro-war interests—including defense contractors, AI and tech entities, and AIPAC.
As part of this effort, MoveOn members have overwhelmingly endorsed Brad Lander in the NY-10 primary race challenging Representative Daniel Goldman, who has consistently supported unconditional military aid packages since entering Congress. Goldman has received over $300k from AIPAC’s PAC via direct and earmarked contributions since 2025 and has had significant holdings with defense contractors like Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman.
“If the Democratic Party ever wants to win elections and be taken seriously as a party that puts working people over special interests and corporations, they need to cut ties with war hawks once and for all,” said MoveOn Chief Communications Officer Joel Payne. “The grassroots mandate is clear: It’s time to retire Democrats who would rather do the bidding of Big Money MAGA-aligned war hawks than restore health care and lower costs for American families.”
Lander’s endorsement is the first of several the group plans to make in key primary races as part of its “Stop the War Hawks” campaign. With a significant membership in congressional districts across the country, MoveOn members are sufficient to make up the entire margin of victory in some of these close races. The group plans to organize its members, invest in paid media, and engage in direct voter contact to toxify candidates with war hawk backing and support those running on an affordability platform. MoveOn expects to send more than 200,000 text messages as part of its outreach in NY-10 alone. With a member-to-member phone-banking program that boasts double the industry-average cold contact rate, it will also activate its NY-10 members on war hawk spending and mobilize them to turn out for Lander in the primary.
Payne continued, “MoveOn members make up more than 100,000 voters in NY-10, and we will mobilize those members to boost Brad Lander, who will go to Washington to put people first, instead of making nice with war hawk dark money interests like his opponent.”
Pro-war lobbyists and PACs have faced losses in recent elections in Illinois and New Jersey, despite flooding money into primary races to stack the deck for their preferred candidates. There is no appetite for forever wars from the base of the party, and candidates propped up by war hawks should only expect backlash. A recent survey of MoveOn members shows:
- 96% are opposed to current military interventions in Iran.
- 89% are concerned about war hawks intervening in Democratic primaries.
- 90% would not support a candidate who accepts war money in the primary.
- 88% are ready to take action to limit the influence of pro-war groups in primary elections.
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MoveOn is a people-powered force for progress. MoveOn mobilizes the left to elect Democrats and enact progressive change. We are the home base for millions of members who refuse to accept the status quo and are moved to take action. For more than a generation, MoveOn has been a bulwark against the radical right, channeling our voices to end wars, protect democracy, and advance justice for all.