The Democratic-leaning American Israel Public Affairs Committee is expected to pour up to $100 million into primary races to knock out far-left House Democrats known as “the Squad” because of their anti-Israel activism, according to a new report.
The pro-Israel lobbying organization was the largest single-issue outside spender in the 2022 Democratic primaries, spending almost $30 million through the super PAC United Democracy Project and raising added millions through the Democratic Majority for Israel political action committee.
The money was trained on defeating progressives in the primaries for open and redrawn seats and, according to reporting from Slate, the 2024 cycle for AIPAC appears to be on course to be no different. However, AIPAC will not make it official just yet.
“We are reviewing a number of races involving detractors of Israel, but we have made no decisions at this time,” an AIPAC spokesman told The Washington Times.
AIPAC has already reserved negative ad buys against Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri, Jamaal Bowman of New York, Summer Lee of Pennsylvania and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, according to The Associated Press, Jewish Insider and the Intercept.
“$100 million targeting Black and brown members of Congress for supporting a ceasefire, a position supported by 80% of our party’s voters. AIPAC is attempting to buy blue seats with GOP donor money,” Ms. Bush posted in response on X.
Ms. Bush is expected to face St. Louis prosecuting attorney Wesley Bell, who dropped his Senate bid last month, while Mr. Bowman is expected to face off against former Westchester County Executive George Latimer. Ms. Lee will go up against Bhavini Patel.
Ms. Omar is going up against Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, former Illinois congressional candidate Sarah Gad and military veteran Tim Peterson.
AIPAC is still courting other challengers to launch bids against Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
The Squad is the Democratic caucus’s most vocal left-wing faction and has lobbed criticism at Israel for its retaliatory assault in Gaza, following the slaughter of Israelis by Hamas. Its members have pushed back against Republicans and their own party, and pushed for a cease-fire resolution in Congress.
Following the attack by the terrorist organization Hamas against Israel on Oct. 7 and the Jewish state’s response to go to war against the terrorist group in Gaza, rifts have deepened between far-left Democrats and the rest of the congressional caucus.
A violent protest in which pro-Palestinian activists clashed with police outside the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington on Wednesday night did not alleviate matters.
Democratic lawmakers and candidates, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, were in the building for a campaign reception when demonstrators’ chanting outside interrupted it.
Protesters said they wanted to block entrances and exits to force politicians to encounter their candlelight vigil and their calls to end the fighting. Many of them wore black shirts saying, “Cease Fire Now.”
