Vice President Kamala Harris will take a “different approach” toward Middle East policy than President Joe Biden, U.S. Rep. Mark Pocan told The Daily Cardinal in an interview, hoping this would sway undecided Wisconsin voters to support her in November.
Pocan, who represents Wisconsin’s 2nd Congressional District encompassing Madison and much of South Central Wisconsin, has been vocal for months about voter dissatisfaction with Biden's funding of Israel’s war in Gaza. Pocan spoke with the Cardinal at an event with the UW-Madison College Democrats Wednesday night, where he outlined strategy ideas for the Democratic Party in the upcoming presidential election.
During the Democratic primary last spring, UW-Madison area wards voted uninstructed four times higher than the statewide rate in a protest against the U.S.’s support of Israel.
Pocan told the Cardinal his constituents feel the switch on the presidential ticket from Biden to Harris has made them more amenable about supporting the Democratic ticket.
“I think a lot of people realize [are] giving a leap of faith based on [Harris’s] comments and her actions — that there will be a different approach than we're seeing with Joe Biden,” Pocan said.
Pocan has been a fierce critic of Israel’s conduct in the war, which has resulted in the deaths of more than 41,000 Palestinians. He was among 37 House Democrats to oppose a $95.3 billion aid package for Israel last spring and has called for Biden to leverage military aid to Israel to force a change in their tactics.
Pocan said the U.S. needed to push for a ceasefire, the return of hostages and “the end of hostilities, because a widening regional war is in no one’s interest.” He reiterated his concern with sending offensive weapons to Israel, particularly given “all the escalations and the responses.”
“[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has not, I think, been responsible in how he's used the assistance from the United States,” Pocan said. “So I have a lot of concerns.”
He added the U.S. needs to do more to respect the self-determination of Palestinians and identified Harris as belonging to a similar viewpoint.
During his hour-long talk, Pocan talked about a range of issues such as abortion rights, the importance of voting in a swing state and the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025.
Pocan cited a recent NBC News poll on Project 2025 that showed 57% of voters disapproved of the project and only 4% approved.
“I know of almost nothing that has negative 53% support,” Pocan said.
Members of College Democrats told the Cardinal Pocan’s visit was a reminder how dangerous a Trump presidency would be.
“My biggest takeaway is just feeling very hopeful around the election,” said College Dems Vice Chair Sadie Rosenthal. “Him speaking about reminding our friends on campus how dangerous Project 2025 is definitely something I'm going to take away from this.”
Pocan spoke about how energized his constituents felt about Harris over Biden.
“Before, it was like a nervousness that Trump could win. Now it's an excitement about someone who could be president,” Pocan told College Dems.
