Progressives are venting loudly about the American-Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) after the defeat of Rep. Jamaal Bowman (DN.Y.) shattered the ranks of the “squad.”
AIPAC was one of the biggest forces working against Bowman, playing big by investing millions in a successful long game to elect Westchester County Executive George Latimer in Tuesday’s primary.
Inside and outside Congress, progressives consider the group overly intrusive and increasingly harmful, arguing that it is promoting an undemocratic, money-centered way of winning elections.
“I think we need to have a real conversation about AIPAC,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (DN.Y.) told reporters after Bowman’s defeat.
In the House chamber, progressive lawmakers vented their frustration as Democrats from both wings of the party sought to make sense of Tuesday’s results.
Some called out AIPAC by name, attributing some of its funding to ultra-wealthy Republicans, while others took a more esoteric analysis of the broader problems with outside spending.
“What we need to have a real conversation about is how a Republican organization – mostly Republican and largely funded by Republicans – is gambling and pouring money and playing an extremely divisive role in the Democratic Party,” Ocasio-Cortez added, who won easily. his primary the same night.
The influential group has caused a fierce debate among Democrats over the assessment of special interest involvement this cycle. Centrist Democrats have been some of AIPAC’s strongest allies, built around the belief that its funding helps candidates who show loyalty to Israel after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack. groups are setting a harmful precedent for all types of outside spending.
The approach of GOP-linked donors, they say, could backfire. And some of these interests may work against the Democratic Party’s agenda.
“It may be that right now AIPAC and Democratic Majority for Israel and Crypto Money are really the only groups that are in the primaries, but if they are successful, why wouldn’t the NRA or Big Pharma do it?” said Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), former chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC).
The relatively lower cost to help finance electoral contests makes it easier for well-funded groups to participate in a variety of contests with few downsides.
“Why wouldn’t everyone try to buy candidates in primaries where the price is discounted?” Pocan said.
Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), one of the newest CPC members who joined the “squad” in 2022, shared similar thoughts following Bowman’s loss.
“Becomes [a] very slippery slope where it could be,” Casar said. “Big Pharma, after that, could be Wall Street, could be anyone with, you know, a huge checkbook, deciding to spend way more than what grassroots donors can put into a race.”
“Obviously, $25 million…is a significant amount in the primary,” added Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), head of the House Democratic Caucus who, like other top Democrats, supported Bowman and was impressed by the enormous amount of dollars fell.
Bowman’s defeat — just four years after entering the House by defeating a 16-term moderate — put progressives on alert for what free spending could mean for their dwindling staff. Left-wing strategists, campaign advisers and activists working to protect incumbents and recruit candidates have become more openly critical of AIPAC after seeing the $20 million spent in New York’s 16th Congressional District, $15 million of which came from private sources. pro-Israel.
“The more money AIPAC pumps in, the more they unite everyone else against them,” said Hassan Martini, a Democratic operative who leads the group No Dem Left Behind. “The ramifications of these harmful actions will be felt politically far into the future by the pro-Israel lobby.”
Some Democrats see AIPAC and allies like Democratic Majority for Israel and the United Democracy Project as useful substitutes for President Biden’s approach to Israel, especially in the wake of the Hamas attack that left more than a thousand people dead.
Many on the far left, however, say Biden has become more aggressive during his first term and see pro-Israel spending as adding to what they see as flawed policy in the region.
Bowman’s ouster, said one progressive activist, demonstrates “how far back things have gone since we agreed with Biden’s centrist, outspoken pro-war worldview.”
AIPAC plans to continue its involvement. And progressives are also working to protect another vulnerable member of the “squad,” Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), in her August 6 primary.
Bush was one of the first House progressives to condemn the millions lost against Bowman as she faces a tough re-election bid.
“AIPAC and its allies – backed by Donald Trump’s far-right mega-donors – have poured a tidal wave of money into this primary race, showing us how desperate these billionaire extremists are in their attempts to buy our democracy, promote their own gain and silence the voices of progress and justice,” Bush said in a statement.
“There should be no doubt about the need to get a lot of money out of politics,” she added.
Bush, a Black Lives Matter activist who won her congressional seat the same year as Bowman, predicted a similar setup could happen in her race against U.S. Attorney Wesley Bell, who AIPAC supported.
“These same extremists are coming to St. Louis. They are financing a faux-progressive former Republican campaign operative to buy our deep blue Democratic seat,” Bush said. “But let me be clear: St. Louis will not be silenced or depleted. We will stand up, louder and stronger than ever, to show that our voices, our votes and our values are not for sale.”
An AIPAC spokesperson told The Hill that its support spans the political spectrum, including many within the Progressive Caucus. The group supported 28 members of the PCC.
“We support candidates from both parties based solely on one criterion – their commitment to strengthening the US-Israel relationship,” the spokesperson said. “We support dozens of progressive candidates, including Democratic leadership and nearly half of the members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Black Caucus and Hispanic Caucus.”
“We are the largest PAC contributor to Democratic candidates and members of the Progressive Caucus,” the spokesperson added.
Bush and Bowman demonstrated disapproval of the Israeli military and government, while also expressing solidarity with the Palestinians in the midst of the ongoing war in Gaza, which by some estimates has killed tens of thousands of people. His defiance has created new political vulnerabilities as Democrats continue to struggle to find common ground on the issue.
Bush’s demands for a ceasefire and criticism of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have given AIPAC and related groups an opening to work to replace the progressive congresswoman with Bell, who is avowedly pro-Israel.
“AIPAC’s grassroots members are proud to support strong pro-Israel progressive Democrats like Wesley Bell,” the spokesperson added. “Cori Bush has been one of Israel’s most hostile critics since she arrived in Congress in 2021 and has actively worked to undermine mainstream Democratic support for the US-Israel relationship.”
Mychael Schnell and Mike Lillis contributed.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
