iving American Military and Foreign Policy
North Carolina and South Carolina
“A Republic, if you can keep it.”—Benjamin Franklin, September 17, 1787
In 2026 so far, the American Israeli Political Action Committee (AIPAC) has spent $231.8 million funding 496 of 527 sitting Members of Congress, averaging $467,000 per member. This represents approximately 18% of the 2026 Congressional campaign spending of $1.3 billion as of about August 14. About 75% has gone to Democrat candidates and 25% to Republican candidates. So far, Democrat candidates have received an average of $753,000 and Republicans $221,000, but it varies widely per campaign with Senate races receiving on average 5.3 times House races.
The top spender so far has been Georgia Democrat Senator Jonathan Ossoff at almost $60 million. Second is Texas Democrat Senate candidate James Talarico at $47 million.
Third was the late South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham. who spent more than $31 million to win his June 9 Republican Primary race with 57%. (FEC Report 6/30/2026) A Citadel poll in late May 2026 indicated Graham had only 44% of the vote and might be forced into a primary runoff. A Winthrop University poll of registered voters released December 12, 2025, six months before, revealed Graham had only a 38% favorability rating. Graham’s surprising 57% June 9 victory was a stunning demonstration of the power of big PAC money, most of it from out of state, and some of it possibly foreign.
In the top 10 so far in 2026, is North Carolina former Governor Roy Cooper, who has already spent $14.3 million in his Senate race to beat former North Carolina and U.S. Republican Party Chairman Michael Whatley.
Evaluating Relative AIPAC Support in Senate and House Races
The median cost for an incumbent House Member to run for re-election was $2.1 million in 2024. The median cost for an incumbent Senator to run for re-election in 2024 was $11.1 million. So in judging AIPAC impact in Congress, we must realize the average Senate race costs about 5.3 times as much as a House race. In addition, the larger the state population, the larger the spending. The estimated population of the United States this month is 342 million, including a lot of illegal immigrants, and the average state has a population 6.85 million. So in a state like North Carolina with a population of 11.2 million, we might expect a Senate campaign might cost close to $18.1 million plus inflation and other factors like the closeness of the race. The overall point in evaluating AIPAC funding is that the percent of AIPAC funding is more significant than the dollar amount. $100,000 AIPAC support in a Republican House race might be alarming but not iso alarming in a Senate race. In order to give a bigger picture to Republican Senate and House members, I have where possible also listed their record/rating with CPAC (Conservative Political Action Conference), associated with the American Conservative Union.
Moreover, many AIPAC objectives are humanitarian public relations efforts not related to driving the U.S. and Israeli initiated surprise attack and bombing of Iran. However, AIPAC’s main drive is to encourage and continue U.S. attacks on Iran. Expanded conflict and destruction of energy, fertilizer, and chemical resources is likely to have enormous negative impacts on the U.S. and global economy within weeks. This could have a profoundly negative impact on Republican House and Senate races on November 3.
The North Carolina 2026 Senate Race
Multiple August polls show former Democrat Governor Roy Cooper leading former NC and National Republican Chairman Michael Whatley by 7 to 11 percent margins, but I suspect Cooper will have to spend considerably more than $20 million to win November 3. Many significant issues have not been sufficiently addressed and are likely to favor Whatley.
So far, Cooper has received just $132,000 in AIPAC funds, which would be less the one percent of current spending and thus not significant on the surface. However, below the surface, there has already been $7.6 million AIPAC spending building a huge advantage to Cooper and other NC Democrat candidates. Of the top 10 AIPAC Congressional funding and assistance recipients for 2026 are two black Democrat incumbents. Seventh is Don Davis (NC 01) with a whopping $4.1 million. Ninth is Valerie Foushee (NC 04) with a whopping $3.5 million Both of these amounts are nearly double average Congressional campaign spending in 2024. Significantly, Don Davis (NC 01) received the largest part of nearly $4.1 million, nearly $2.6 million for Independent Expenditures aimed at registering voters and especially getting out the vote. Valerie Foushee (NC 04) received nearly $3.0 million of her so far of her total of $3.5 million on Independent Expenditures. Her district includes the liberal Democrat UNC Chapel Hill bastion. All the AIPAC Independent Expenditure funding in North Carolina, $5.6 million, has gone to these two Democrats. This is powerful but low visibility advantage for Roy Cooper, Democrats, and AIPAC victory in North Carolina.
North Carolina AIPAC funding.
Republican Senator Thom Tillis had received $405,386 as of July 5, 2026. He decided not to run for another term in June 2025. Thom Tillis has a 71% life-time CPAC record.
Republican Senator Ted Budd received only $80,136 AIPAC funding as of July 5. Senator Budd has 97% CPAC record.
NC 01 Democrat Don Davis as noted above had received AIPAC support of $4,059,404 as of July 5. Approximately 62% of this was for Independent Expenditures most frequently devoted to registering and getting out the vote.
NC 02 democrat Deborah Ross received $228,984 in AIPAC support as of July 5. Anything over $100,000 for a House race is an alarm bell FOR AIPAC dominance.
NC 03 Republican Greg Murphy is setting off AIPAC dominance alarm bells with $101,306 as of July 5. Murphy has an 80% life-time CPAC record, falling to 77% in 2025.
NC 04 Democrat Valerie Foushee is part of the low-visibility AIPAC dominance of North Carolina and stealth AIPAC for Roy Cooper for Senate campaign with $3,479,345 as of July 5. Eighty-six percent is for Independent Expenditures.
NC 05. Once conservative Republican Virginia Fox has received $326,334 in AIPAC contributions as of July 5. Virginia Fox has a life-time CPAC rating of 91%, falling to 81% in 2025.
NC 06 Republican Addison McDowell has received $31,583 in AIPAC funds as of July 5. So far, OK. McDowell has an 87% CPAC rating.
NC 07 Republican David Rouzer has received $51, 502 AIPAC funding since July 5. Still OK. Rouzer has an 85% life-time CPAC rating.
NC 08 Republican Mark Harris has received just $26,813 from AIPAC funding as of July 5. This is in the commendable range. Harris is a former Southern Baptist pastor and North Carolina Southern Baptist leader. He is obviously more able to discern which religious appeals by AIPAC are valid and which are invalid. Harris has an 87% life-time CPAC rating.
NC 09 Republican Richard Hudson has received and alarming $259,669 from AIPAC as of July 5. Hudson has an 85% life-time CPAC rating, falling to 80% in 2025.
NC 10 Republican Pat Harrigan has received only $32,314 in AIPAC funding as of July 5. This is commendable so far. Harrigan has a 100% CPAC record.
NC 11 Republican Chuck Edwards had received $87,166 in AIPAC funding as of July 5. Edwards withdrew from his 2026 re-election campaign on August 5. Edwards was not kept well informed on war, foreign policy, and some social and immigration issues by his staff. Edwards had a 67% life-time CPAC rating, improving slightly in 2025 to 74%. The 11th also includes extremely liberal bastions within the city of Asheville. Edwards has been replaced as the NC 11 Republican candidate by NC House 117th District Representative Jennifer Balkcom, who is a capable and activist conservative, but it will be a tough race.
NC 12 Democrat Alma Adams is black, but she has some issues with AIPAC. She has only received $25, 858 from AIPAC as of July 5. Hopefully, there is some commendable discernment going on here.
NC 13 Republican Brad Knott has received only $17,011 from AIPAC as of July 5. His discernment earns him the most commendable AIPAC-reality record in the North Carolina delegation. I am not surprised. My experience with Knott is that truth and integrity are a high priority to him, and he has discerning common sense. He has an 87% CPAC record.
NC 14 Republican Tim Moore also deserves a commendable rating with only $31,583 AIPAC funding as of July 5. Tim Moore was Speaker of the North Carolina House from 2015- to 2025. His experience evidently sharpened his political discernment. He has a 90% life-time CPAC rating.
South Carolina AIPAC Funding
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who passed away July 11, 2026, had received $1,075,896 from AIPAC as of July 5, 2026.
Lindsey Graham’s sister Darline Graham (Nordone) was appointed to fill the vacant Senate seat on July 14 by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster. She is now in a Primary runoff for the Senate seat with Congressman Ralph Norman on August 25. The winner will face Democrat nominee Dr. Annie Andrews.
AIPAC has endorsed Darline Graham.
Republican Senator Tim Scott has received $249,459 for his 2026 election as of July 5, 2026. This is a worrisome indication of excess AIPAC alliance, which was probably influenced by South Carolina’s late Senior Senator, Lindsey Graham. Scott has a life-time CPAC rating of 89%, but it fell to 76% in 2025.
SC 01 Republican Nancy Mace had received $107,936 from AIPAC as of July 5. AIPAC Tracker considers this a serious alarm. She has a life-time CPAC rating of 77%.
SC 02 Republican Joe Wilson has received $405,073 from AIPAC. Yuk. He seems to be an AIPAC true believer, probably on hawkish military sentiment. His life-time rating with CPAC, however, is 87%, and his life-time rating with Heritage Action is 74%. I like his low liberal ADA rating of 10%.
SC 03 Republican Sheri Biggs has received only $10,814 in AIPAC support as of July 5. She gets a commendable rating. She has a 100% life-time CPAC rating.
SC 04 Republican William Timmons is dancing near the swamp with $80,185 in AIPAC support as of July 5. He has a life-time CPAC rating, however, of 90%.
SC 05 Republican Ralph Norman has only received $10,211 from AIPAC as of July 5. I give him a double commendable and hope he is South Carolina’s next U.S. Senator. Ralph Norman has a 98% life-time ratings by the American Conservative Union (CPAC) and Heritage Action!
SC 06 Democrat Jim Clyburn, 86, has been in the U.S. House since 1993. He is the only Democrat in South Carolina’s delegation to Congress. He has received $173, 673 from AIPAC in 2026 as of July 5. He usually wins with over 60% of the vote. His AIPAC funding is low for a Democrat. He might even qualify as an AIPAC RINO.
SC 07 Republican Russel Fry has received $90,175 in AIPAC funding for 2026 as of July 5. He is another conservative Republican with a 97% life-time CPAC rating that is dancing too near the AIPAC swamp.
AIPAC funding has become closely associated with support for the Iran War. That is to say, the U.S. and Israeli attack against Iran. Polls continually show that the American people do not support the war in Iran. The National Quinnipiac University poll released on July 29, 2026, indicated that 60% of registered voters oppose military action against Iran and only 34% support it. President Trump’s polls are also bottoming because of it. Democrats and especially Independents are strongly against it. Although Republican support for the war was at first strong, that support has badly eroded as more information has become available from alternative internet media. At this point, several polls indicate a strong splintering of America First conservatives from Trump and pro-war media. The people are also beginning to experience the economic consequences of the war, which will become disastrously evident within weeks.
The American people need to be aware that their knowledge and understanding of the Iran war is being shaped largely by CIA propaganda and sometimes Mossad Isaeli Intelligence propaganda designed to justify U.S. aggressive actions rather than inform Congress, the media, and the people of essential truths and realities. This is generally “leaked” to compliant media. Fox News has become one the most compliant and orchestrated proponents of disinformation and disastrous foreign policy and misguided military “strategy.”
MAGA Big Data Poll Director Richard Baris has warned that the 2026 Election will be a disaster for Republicans if the Iran War continues. He estimates that a huge percentage of the Trump coalition will not be inclined to vote in 2026. Perhaps that discouraged faction believes that Congress has discarded the Republic and substituted an Empire that governs by massive propaganda and voting is an inconsequential ritual.
(326) War & Americans What the Polls Reveal /Pollster Rich Baris & Lt Col Daniel Davis - YouTube 65 minute YouTube Video.
Trump's Approval Hits New Low Amid Iran War Restart, Higher Gas Prices | BIG DATA POLL
Polster Richard Baris can be very wordy, but his counsel can be summarized with a Biblical verse he knows well:
“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”—Proverbs 16:18.
Mike Scruggs is the author of two books: The Un-Civil War: Shattering the Historical Myths; and Lessons from the Vietnam War: Truths the Media Never Told You, and over 600 articles on military history, national security, intelligent design, genealogical genetics, immigration, current political affairs, Islam, and the Middle East. 
