Democratic primary voters this cycle have defied one of Washington's most influential political organizations in several primary races, delivering a series of victories to candidates running against rivals backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its affiliated organizations. From Michigan and Minnesota Senate primaries to congressional races in New York, Illinois and California, several Democratic nominees prevailed in their races despite millions of AIPAC-affiliated spending aimed at boosting their opponents. The victories come amid shifting attitudes within the Democratic Party toward Israel and the war in Gaza, with several progressive candidates speaking out against the Israeli government—and scoring primary wins while doing so—this election cycle.
As super PACs and other committees continue spending heavily in congressional races, some progressive candidates have made opposition to corporate PAC money and outside influence a core campaign theme. AIPAC, one of the nation's most influential pro-Israel advocacy groups, supports candidates through its political action committee and affiliated organizations, including the super PAC United Democracy Project, a major spender in Democratic primaries. The primary victories come amid an ongoing debate within the Democratic Party over its direction, with progressives pushing for a more left-leaning agenda while some moderates argue that such candidates could be less competitive in swing districts and statewide races.
Newsweek has reached out to AIPAC for comment via email on Friday. The U.S. is a close ally of Israel, providing billions in military aid and diplomatic support for years. Public opinion in the U.S., however, has shifted since the aftermath of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in terms of diplomatic and military aid.
Following the attack, which killed about 1,200 people and resulted in 250 hostages being taken, Israel responded with an intense military campaign in Gaza, killing over 73,000 Palestinians and triggering mass displacement. More recently, Israel and the U.S. launched coordinated strikes on Iran in late February. Recent polling shows that America has become much more divided over U.S. support for Israel, which has historically held significant support.
A June AP-NORC poll found that 58 percent of Democrats said the U.S. is too supportive of Israel, up from 45 percent in January 2024, while 60 percent of Republicans said the current level of U.S. support is "about right." Overall, 31 percent of U.S. adults said they believe Israel's military actions in Gaza constitute genocide, while 49 percent said they did not know enough to say and 20 percent felt they did not constitute genocide. The survey also found Democrats have become increasingly supportive of Palestinians while support for Israel has declined within the party. Sixty-two percent said the U.S. is not supportive enough of Palestinians, up from 49 percent in January 2024.
The survey of 3,040 adults was conducted from June 11 to June 17, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points. A smaller subset of the AP-NORC poll looked into Jewish Americans' views. Among the bloc, polling found that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's favorability among Jewish adults is 32 percent compared to a 59 percent unfavorable rating.
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