Pro-Israel groups are pumping millions into this year’s heated congressional races, singling out progressives who have voiced criticism of the Israeli government and its relentless campaign in Gaza.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) is betting that $100m will be enough to fight back a wave of progressive dissent over Israel’s war in Gaza this election cycle. After investing heavily in the 2022 midterms, Aipac is now doubling down on its electoral efforts.
Aipac and other pro-Israel groups, such as Democratic Majority for Israel, have already identified some high-profile targets in this year’s congressional elections – including the New York congressman Jamaal Bowman and the Missouri congresswoman Cori Bush.
Progressive leaders have made clear that they will not go down without a fierce fight, and outrage over the war in Gaza, which has killed more than 33,000 Palestinians, has rallied supporters to push back against pro-Israel lobbying groups. The unexpected strength of the “uncommitted” primary campaign in states like Michigan and Minnesota has underscored that Gaza is weighing heavily on the minds of progressive voters this election cycle, and their mobilization could complicate campaign efforts by groups like Aipac.
But combating $100m is no easy task, and progressives will need to use every possible resource to protect some of their most vulnerable candidates.
Although Aipac’s roots trace back to the 1950s, the group spent decades focusing most of its attention on lobbying members of Congress – only getting directly involved in races in the past few years. In late 2021, Aipac announced the formation of a political action committee, known as Aipac Pac, and a Super Pac, the United Democracy Project, to get more directly involved in congressional campaigns.
The groups hit the ground running in the 2022 midterms, spending nearly $50m across the election cycle. Aipac Pac boasts that it supported 365 pro-Israel candidates from both parties in 2022, while critics condemned the group’s endorsement of dozens of Republicans who voted against certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Although Aipac endorses prominent members of both parties, its extensive work specifically targeting progressive Democrats in primary campaigns has become a source of intense ire on the left.
In 2022, UDP, the super Pac affiliated with Aipac, spent $4.2m against former Democratic congresswoman Donna Edwards of Maryland and another $1.7m in support of her more centrist opponent, Glenn Ivey. The group invested another $3.9m in support of Democratic congresswoman Haley Stevens’ primary campaign against fellow Democratic incumbent Andy Levin, who faced an additional $342,000 in negative advertising from UDP. Edwards and Levin lost their primaries.
Even in 2022, the groups’ electoral success was mixed. UDP spent $3.3m opposing progressive state representative Summer Lee, while the group and DMFI collectively poured another $1.1m into propping up her opponent, lawyer and activist Steve Irwin. UDP also spent $2.7m supporting Michigan state senator Adam Hollier’s House bid while hitting his opponent, state representative Shri Thanedar, who had co-sponsored legislation calling for an end to aid to Israel, with $1.4m in negative advertising. Lee and Thanedar emerged victorious in their primaries and went on to win House seats. (Thanedar has since courted pro-Israel interests, traveling to Israel with an Aipac-affiliated group and repeatedly affirming his support for Israel’s campaign in Gaza following Hamas’s 7 October attack).
This year, pro-Israel groups have already gotten involved in other primaries against members of the progressive “Squad” in Congress. Aipac Pac has endorsed George Latimer, who is running against New York congressman Jamaal Bowman, and Wesley Bell, who is attempting to unseat Missouri congresswoman Cori Bush.
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