AIPAC’s Surprising Salvo In Orange County

A swing seat in California is seeing a flurry of attack ads from pro-Israel forces. Why?

The premise behind AIPAC and its pro-Israel allies getting involved in Democratic primaries over the past two election cycles was that a new generation of progressive politicians had become too vocal about the Israeli government’s subjugation of the Palestinians. Therefore, according to these groups, money needed to come off the sidelines to prevent more critics from joining this faction in Washington, and eventually to replace the dissidents with loyal Israel supporters.

So then why is AIPAC’s first investment in the 2024 primary cycle targeting a former Chuck Schumer aide who supports continued funding of Israel without conditions, and who explicitly stated in a questionnaire that he did not “anticipate being on the front lines of any foreign policy issues”?

The surprise pro-Israel intervention in California’s 47th Congressional District has broader implications for anyone working in Democratic primary politics. Not only does AIPAC have the desire and financial resources to punish even the tiniest dissent from uncritical support for Israel, it is also determined to influence selections in swing seats, in ways that benefit Republicans in the general election and appear to be funded by Republican donors. That’s a problem for groups whose endorsements happen to align with AIPAC’s, and in particular the pro-women, pro-choice group EMILYs List.