Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam launched a campaign Thursday to unseat Democratic Congressman Valerie Foushee in the March primary.
Allam ran against Foushee in 2022 but came a few thousand votes short. Allam has served on the Durham County commission since 2020. She recently wrapped up a stint as commission chair and is the first Muslim woman to hold elected office in North Carolina. She says the incumbent hasn't fought hard enough against the Trump administration on immigration and other policies.
"We have seen that when ICE and CBP were here in our district, kidnapping our neighbors and separating families and terrorizing folks, our member of Congress posted a tweet," Allam said. "Like, this moment requires urgency, because families are hurting right now. We can't wait for three years for new leadership. We need people in Congress and elected office at every level who are going to be bringing working families' voices to the seat and pushing back against Trump's authoritarianism."
Foushee has said she's been working on legislation to restrict the Trump administration's immigration enforcement actions.
"In Congress, I am pushing to pass legislation like the Neighbors Not Enemies Act to repeal the President's sweeping power to detain foreign nationals," she said in a social media post Wednesday. "I’m also proud to cosponsor the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act, the ICE Badge Visibility Act, and more, and remain committed to protecting our immigrant communities."
Allam's campaign has been endorsed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and several national progressive groups, including Justice Democrats and the Working Families Party.
"Nida is a proven fighter with the courage to take on corporate power, billionaires, and billionaire-funded Super PACS like AIPAC," Sanders said in a news release, referring to the pro-Israel lobbying group that helped fund Foushee's 2022 campaign. "At a moment when the oligarchs are tightening their grip on government, we need leaders like Nida — leaders who answer to working families, not the billionaire class.”
Foushee announced in August that she will not take any contributions from AIPAC next year, IndyWeek reported. A significant percentage of funds used in the 2022 primary between Foushee, Allam and other candidates came from AIPAC. Foushee faced criticism last year for taking an AIPAC-sponsored trip to Israel.
"This district deserves someone who is going to speak up for what a majority of Americans across this country are saying — a majority of Democrats have said that what Israel has conducted in Gaza is a genocide, and that they don't support it, and they want to see our party do better," Allam said.
Foushee defended her Israel trip at the time, saying "fostering diplomatic dialogue and facilitating de-escalation efforts is the only way to reach a bilateral ceasefire, ensure the release of all remaining hostages, alleviate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and achieve the ultimate goal of a permanent two-state solution."
Allam says gun control activist David Hogg will be campaigning with her this weekend.
The 4th Congressional District includes Durham, Orange and portions of Wake and Chatham counties. Foushee is a former state senator from Orange County who was elected in 2022 after longtime Congressman David Price retired.
