US political financing

This article is more than 2 months old

Pro-Israel groups denounced after pouring funds into

primary race
Groups accused of using Republican mega-donors to hijack
Democratic primaries following the defeat of Jewish congressman

Chris McGreal
Thu 4 Aug 2022 07.00 BST

Hawkish pro-Israel lobby groups have been accused of using Republican mega-
donors to hijack Democratic primaries after the “alarming” defeat of a prominent
Jewish congressman because he criticised Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians.

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) spent more than $4m to defeat
Andy Levin in Tuesday’s Democratic primary for a congressional seat in north-
western Detroit.

Levin, who comes from a distinguished political dynasty, including his father and an
uncle who served long stints as Democrats in Congress, said he had been “the target
of a largely Republican-funded campaign” because he dissented from Aipac’s
support for hardline Israeli policies.
Aipac poured funds into supporting Levin’s opponent, Haley Stevens, who won with
about 60% of the vote. The lobby group heralded her victory as evidence that “being
pro-Israel is both good policy and good politics”. But critics noted that much of
Aipac’s spending was on negative campaigning against Levin that did not mention
Israel.

Levin was backed by the more liberal pro-Israel group, J Street. It contrasted Aipac’s
endorsement of more than 100 Republican members of Congress who voted against
certifying Joe Biden’s presidential election victory with the “onslaught of rightwing
outside spending and baseless smears” to defeat a progressive candidate with a
history of supporting unions and civil rights.

Aipac, through its political action committee, the United Democracy Project, has
raised millions of dollars from Republican billionaires such as the Trump campaign
funders Paul Singer and Bernie Marcus to defeat candidates not considered pro-
Israel enough.

Other pro-Israel groups, such as the Democratic Majority for Israel and Pro-Israel
America, have also spent heavily to oppose candidates regarded as anti-Israel in
Democratic primaries from Texas to Ohio and California.

“This aggressive intervention in Democratic primaries – by a group funded in part by

Republican mega-donors – to promote an unpopular agenda is harmful to American
foreign policy, to the Democratic party and ultimately to the State of Israel,” said J
Street, which is more critical of Israeli policies that perpetuate domination of the
Palestinians.

In an interview with the Guardian during the campaign, Levin warned that Aipac’s
involvement raised the specter of the entire primary process being hijacked by well-
funded lobbies such as big oil and the gun industry.

“I don’t think the Democratic party can really stand for it and maintain the integrity
of our own elections,” he said.

After his defeat, Levin said he “will continue to speak out against the corrosive
influence of dark money on our democracy”.

J Street has called on Democratic candidates to decline Aipac’s support, saying that
it is intended to warn politicians against criticism of Israel’s actions or risk a well-
funded campaign against them.

“With their overwhelming spending, Aipac hopes to send an intimidating message

to others: cross our red lines, and you could be next. While political space for open
and healthy debate over US foreign policy has opened up considerably in recent
and healthy debate over US foreign policy has opened up considerably in recent
years, they appear determined to close it down,” it said.

Aipac has poured more than $24m into defeating Democratic primary candidates
critical of Israel. Last month it celebrated defeating former congresswoman Donna
Edwards, who was the favorite to win a Maryland seat until the UDP spent $7m to
unleash an advertising blitz against her.

But Aipac suffered an unusual setback on Tuesday in another Detroit seat where it
spent heavily to defeat a member of the Michigan state legislature, Shri Thanedar,
who has strongly criticised the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

Thanedar, an Indian immigrant and wealthy entrepreneur, beat state senator Adam
Hollier, who is Black and strongly pro-Israel, in a field fractured between several
candidates in the majority African American district.

Some of Aipac’s supporters have suggested that the focus on Aipac’s funding of
campaigns against candidates critical of Israeli government policies is antisemitic
because the group is doing no more than other lobby organisations.

In response, Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace,
tweeted: “So AIPAC can do it … & AIPAC can brag about doing it … But talking about
what AIPAC did (at least in a critical way) is antisemitic. See how that works?

Related stories

Peter Thiel’s midterm bet:
the billionaire seeking to
disrupt America’s
democracy
4d ago
TikTok tightens policies Florida: Charlie Crist wins
around political issues in Democratic primary to
run-up to US midterms challenge Ron DeSantis
21 Sep 2022 24 Aug 2022

More from Headlines

 Live / Russia warns of Iran / Climber who Live / Business: UK
fight for Kherson in ‘very competed without a hijab inflation rises to 10.1% as
near future’; hundreds of met by jubilant crowds in cost of living squeeze
thousands in Ukraine Tehran continues
without water or power
22m ago 4h ago 35m ago

Most viewed