By Michael Bitzer
From Vietnam to Iraq to more recent military engagements, the balance of war-making authority between Congress and the president has been a recurring point of conflict in American politics. The Constitution divides this power—giving Congress the authority to declare war while making the president commander-in-chief—but in practice the boundaries between the two branches have often blurred. A recent survey of North Carolinians shows that while the institutions may clash, public opinion still leans strongly toward maintaining the constitutional balance.
In a previous post on North Carolinians and their opinions regarding war powers, it was noted that “nearly three-quarters of North Carolinians say presidents should seek congressional authorization before engaging the U.S. military,” according to the Catawba-YouGov Survey conducted in August 2025.
This is one of the many shared powers between the legislative and executive branches of government, which many Americans know as “checks & balances” (political scientists tend to use the phrase ‘separate institutions (of government) sharing power’, in this case, the war making power).
In understanding this division of power, we can look back at the Federalist Papers to see what was considered as the shared nature of war making, specifically Federalist #69 by Hamilton:
The President is to be commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States. In this respect his authority would be nominally the same with that of the king of Great Britain, but in substance much inferior to it. It would amount to nothing more than the supreme command and direction of the military and naval forces, as first General and admiral of the Confederacy; while that of the British king extends to the DECLARING of war and to the RAISING and REGULATING of fleets and armies, all which, by the Constitution under consideration, would appertain to the legislature. (emphasis added)
At least according to the Federalist Papers, a source of historical documentation as to the U.S. Constitution’s meaning, the president’s power over war making was that of ‘supreme command and direction’ of the forces, while Congress, the ‘legislature,’ had the power of declaring war and raising and regulating the military.
While the Constitution divides authority between Congress and the president, history shows that the balance between the two branches has been constantly contested. Public opinion therefore offers an important lens into how Americans view this constitutional design today.
Beyond the constitutional theory, an important question remains: do Americans—and North Carolinians in particular—value this division of war-making authority in practice? And is there an ‘eye of the beholder’ dynamic at play with this division of power?
In the August 2025 Catawba-YouGov Survey, along with the authorization, we asked about the importance by North Carolinians of the shared power of war making:
How important [is it that] Congress has the power to declare war and authorize military power, but the president serves as the commander in chief over the nation’s military?
Like with the authorization question, North Carolinians were on the side of dividing the war power:
Compared to the question about presidents seeking congressional authorization, respondents placed slightly less “extreme” importance on the constitutional division of power itself—but the overall level of support remains similar.
When combining the ‘extremely’ with ‘very’ responses, we get a similar dynamic as the authorization question:
Nearly seven out of ten North Carolinians say this division of war making power is important, down from three-quarters on the authorization question, but still a healthy number.
When we break the results down politically, an interesting pattern emerges.
Three-quarters of GOP respondents say it’s important, as opposed to two-thirds of Democrats and Independents. And this maps onto the ideological perspective as well:
77 percent of conservatives say this division of war power is important, compared to two-thirds of liberals and moderates.
White North Carolinians are more likely to say this division is important than Black or Hispanic/Latino North Carolinians:
The largest gap appears generationally. Older North Carolinians overwhelmingly value the division of war powers, while younger respondents show noticeably less intensity.
Eight out of ten older North Carolinians say it is important, but there’s a twenty-point drop down to those under the age of 45 years old (Millennials and Generation Z).
There’s also a divide based on education, as three-quarters of college graduates say it is important compared to two-thirds of high school educated respondents:
Regionally, urban respondents are more likely to say this power division is important than those in rural North Carolina:
And most interestingly, there’s a difference between what Trump and Harris voters say about the importance of this power divide:
For Trump voters, they registered at 77 percent, whereas Harris voters are at 70 percent.
While debates in Washington often frame war-making authority as a struggle between Congress and the president, North Carolinians appear broadly supportive of the Constitution’s divided approach to military power.
Across most demographic and political groups, substantial majorities say the division of authority—Congress declaring war while the president commands the military—is an important feature of American constitutional government. In many ways, this reflects the original design outlined by the founders: a system in which no single branch fully controls the nation’s war-making authority.
At the same time, the survey results reveal subtle but important differences beneath this broad consensus. Republicans and conservatives place slightly greater importance on this division than Democrats and independents, while older North Carolinians express much stronger support than younger generations. These generational differences could signal a changing relationship with constitutional institutions among younger Americans.
Ultimately, these findings suggest that while Americans often disagree over the use of military force itself, many still value the constitutional principle that decisions about war should not rest with a single individual alone.
The challenge, as history repeatedly shows, is ensuring that this constitutional balance remains more than just theory.
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Dr. Michael Bitzer is a professor of politics & history at Catawba College, where he directs the Center for North Carolina Politics & Public Service, which commissioned the YouGov Survey.
