How Much Influence Does Israel Have Over U.S. Elected Officials?

Bernie Sanders’ 2020 national campaign director Analilia Mejia beat AIPAC-backed candidate Tom Malinowski in NJ’s recent special election

As mid-term season ramps up, important primary races are underway in Texas and Illinois. The midterm elections will potentially reshape the U.S. Congress, making it critical to understand how important the outcomes are for Israel and its powerful slate of U.S. lobbying groups.

“We expect to be involved in dozens of races both in primaries and general elections this cycle,” said Patrick Dorton, a spokesman for AIPAC’s affiliated super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP).

According to Track AIPAC, there are currently only 21 members of U.S. Congress who have never accepted money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC, the largest pro-Israel PAC in the US) or other pro-Israel lobby groups. The remaining 514 sitting members have all accepted varying amounts of fundraising money from pro-Israel lobbyists.

With the Illinois primary just two days away, AIPAC has spent more than $1.9 million on ads to replace retiring Rep. Danny Davis with Melissa Conyears-Ervin, the city treasurer of Chicago. She faces over a dozen other candidates in the upcoming primary. And IL Sen. Dick Durbin is retiring after more than 30 years in office, with three top Democratic candidates vying for his seat.

Durbin received more than $2.7 million in pro-Israel donations over his decades in office. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who accepted more than $1.7 million in pro-Israel donations, is vying for his seat along with Rep. Robin Kelly, the recipient of just over $368,000 from Israeli lobbies and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton, who has received just over $248,000.

U.S. Democratic Reps. Jan Schakowsky and Jesus “Chuy” Garcia are also retiring. Schakowsky has received more than $2.5 billion from Israeli lobbyists while Garcia hasn’t received any and rejects AIPAC. Dozens of Democrats are vying for those seats, with AIPAC playing an increasingly bigger role in candidates’ platforms.

Schakowsky, once a staunch supporter of Israel, has increasingly become critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the war in Gaza and recently withdrew her support of Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller to succeed her. Miller has pulled in more than $3.3 million in AIPAC-related donations. “Illinois deserves leaders who put voters first, not AIPAC or out-of-state Trump donors,” said Schakowsky. She endorsed Evanston Mayor Daniel Bliss instead, who has received just over $288,000 in pro-Israel funding.

The Texas Senate primaries have yielded tight races for Democrats and Republicans alike, with AIPAC once again playing a key role. James Talarico, who received just over $23,000 from pro-Israel interests, will face an as yet to be determined Republican challenger. Incumbent Sen. John Cornyn, who has accepted more than $2 million from AIPAC and other Israeli interests, is being challenged by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who received just over $53,000 from Israeli lobbyists.

The Republican primary was so close that the two candidates will face a runoff on May 26. Paxton’s success puts President Donald Trump in a sticky position. Trump himself has received more than $230 million from Israeli groups and it was expected he would endorse Israel’s candidate, Cornyn. But Paxton has gained traction within the MAGA movement, and Trump risks alienating his voters by endorsing Cornyn. Talarico’s popularity has been rising with some predicting he may turn one of Texas’s Senate seats blue for the first time in 33 years.

AIPAC and its offshoots began to ramp up spending during the 2022 midterms, shelling out more than $221 million between December of 2021 and January of 2026.

Their strategy has not always paid off though, as was the case in the recent Democratic primary special election in New Jersey. Israeli lobbyists spent more than $378,000 pushing former Rep. Tom Malinowski for a House seat. He was defeated by progressive candidate Analilia Mejia, who has been openly critical of Israel.

To learn if your U.S. representatives better reflect your interests or Israel’s, check Track AIPAC.

8,614 Comments

  1. If a friend asked me where to read carefully on the topic I would send them here without hesitation, and a look at growthframework confirmed the recommendation strength, the directness of my recommendation reflects how confident I am in the quality and this site has earned undiluted recommendations from me across multiple recent conversations actually.

  2. Bookmark earned and shared the link with one specific person who would care, and a look at hedgecamel got the same targeted share, sharing carefully rather than broadcasting is a discipline I try to maintain and this site is generating shares from me at a sustainable rate rather than the spam rate of viral content.

  3. Thanks for a post that does not try to be funny when it is not the moment for it, and a stop at condoraspen maintained the same appropriate seriousness, knowing when humour helps and when it just signals desperation for engagement is a sign of editorial maturity that many blogs have not developed yet.

  4. Reading this slowly because the writing rewards a slower pace, and a stop at carbonantler did the same, the pace at which I read content is something I now use as a quality signal and writing that earns a slower pace earns my attention as a reader looking for substance these days.

  5. Closed three other tabs to focus on this one and never opened them again, and a stop at calmcovecraftcollective similarly held attention exclusively, content that crowds out other reading from working memory is content with real density and this site has demonstrated that density across multiple pages I have visited so far this morning.

  6. Seriously, the amount of garbage “luxury” deals here is astonishing. Then you show up and it’s a whole different story. Plus they want a $2000 hold on your debit card. Fool me five times? Actually yeah, Miami keeps fooling everyone. When you’re after a trustworthy luxury car rental miami. Miami without proper wheels is basically a hostage situation. Design District shopping, late-night South Beach cruising, or a spontaneous drive down to Homestead — AC must freeze your teeth and unlimited miles or bust. I’ve gone through maybe 30 rental companies across Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach. Finally found one outfit that actually delivers what’s in the listing. check availability before spring break crowds wipe them out:
    rent porsche near me https://luxury-car-rental-miami-5.com also bring quality shades unless you enjoy driving into a nuclear flare every evening. drive safe and maybe decline that “premium roadside” upsell — it’s always a scam.

  7. Appreciated the way each section connected smoothly to the next without abrupt jumps, and a stop at ferretglider kept that flow going nicely, transitions are something most blog writers ignore but the difference is huge for the reader who is trying to follow a sustained line of thought today across many different topics.

  8. I’ve got the scars to prove it. Then you show up at the lot. Plus they freeze $2500 on your card for a week. Eight years in South Florida and these clowns still almost get me. luxury car rental miami fl. Miami without decent wheels is basically a hostage situation. South of Fifth brunch, Design District shopping, or a spontaneous Keys trip — AC must be arctic cold and unlimited miles non-negotiable. most are shiny turds with five-star fake reviews on Google Maps. what you book is what shows up, no surprises, no fine print nightmares. Here’s the only honest source for premium wheels across South Florida
    premium sedan car rental premium sedan car rental Yeah parking in South Beach will cost you a nice bottle of wine — but that’s the Miami tax. Anyway glad there’s at least one straight operator left in this rental circus.

  9. Now realising the post has been quietly doing important work in my mind for the past hour, and a stop at erminecondor extended that quiet processing, content that continues to do work after I close the tab is content with afterlife in the mind and this site is producing those long lived effects at a meaningful rate.

  10. A piece that read as the work of someone who reads carefully themselves, and a look at clarityenablesgrowth continued that informed feel, writers who are also serious readers produce work with a different quality and this site reads as the product of someone steeped in good writing rather than just generating content for an audience.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *