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.
Reading this in three sittings because the day was fragmented, and the piece survived the fragmentation, and a stop at duetcoasts held up under similar reading conditions, content engineered for continuous attention is fragile in modern conditions and this site reads as durable across the realistic ways people consume content today.
Took some notes for a project I am working on, and a stop at bookbulb added more raw material to those notes, content that contributes to my own creative work rather than just being interesting in the moment is the kind I value most and the kind I will keep coming back to repeatedly.
Really like the way the post resists reaching for cliches that would have made it feel generic, and a quick visit to tallpineemporium kept that fresh feel going, original phrasing and unexpected metaphors are signs that the writer is actually thinking rather than just stitching together familiar phrases into the appearance of content.
Glad to find a site whose links lead somewhere worth going rather than back to itself for SEO juice, and a stop at goldmanors kept that generous outbound feel, citing other peoples work with real respect rather than just for ranking signals is a sign of an honest operation worth supporting going forward.
Now feeling slightly more optimistic about the state of independent writing online, and a stop at moderninspiredgoods extended that quiet optimism, sites like this one are the reason I have not given up on the open web entirely and finding them occasionally renews the case for paying attention to non algorithmic content sources today.
Worth pointing out that the post avoided the temptation to summarise everything at the end, and a look at suzgilliessmith continued that confident closing approach, content that trusts readers to retain the substance without being reminded of it at the end is content that respects the reader and this site practices that respect.
Now planning to come back when I have the right kind of attention to read carefully, and a stop at findnewhorizons reinforced that plan, choosing the right moment to read certain content is a quiet form of respect for the work and this site is generating those careful planning behaviours from me consistently as a reader.
Honestly enjoyed every minute spent here, that is not something I say lightly, and a look at meritquay confirmed I will be back, the bar for spending time online is high for me these days but this site clears it without effort which is high praise indeed from this reader who is usually rather demanding.
Liked the natural conversational tone throughout, never stiff and never overly casual either, and a stop at palminlets kept that comfortable middle ground going, finding a tone that respects the reader without becoming distant or overly familiar is harder than it sounds and this site nails that balance consistently across many different pieces.
Came in skeptical of the angle and left mostly persuaded, and a stop at opaldune pushed me a bit further in the same direction, content that can move a critical reader by argument rather than rhetoric is rare and worth pointing out because it indicates real substance underneath the surface presentation here.
Just want to acknowledge that the writing here is doing something right, and a quick visit to palmmill confirmed the same standards run across the broader site, recognising good work is something I try to do when I find it because the alternative is silence and silence rewards mediocrity.
A piece that earned its conclusions through the body rather than asserting them at the end, and a look at fayettecountydrt maintained the same earned quality, conclusions that follow from what came before are more persuasive than declarations and this site has clearly internalised that principle in how it constructs arguments throughout pieces.
A clean read with no irritations, and a look at opaldunes continued that frictionless quality, the absence of small irritations is something I notice only when present elsewhere and this site is one of the rare places where everything just works and lets me focus on the substance rather than fighting the format.
Genuinely glad I clicked through to read this rather than skipping past, and a stop at irisbureaus confirmed I should keep clicking through to more pages here, the kind of resource that justifies its place in my browser history rather than feeling like wasted time which is the highest compliment I offer any site online today.
Reading this prompted me to dig out an old reference book related to the topic, and a stop at deanclip extended that connection to other sources, content that connects me back to my own existing knowledge rather than asking me to forget it is content with continuity and this site has that continuous quality.
Glad to have another reliable bookmark for this topic, and a look at micapact suggested several more pages I will be marking too, building a personal library of trustworthy resources is one of the actual rewards of careful browsing and this site is earning a place on my permanent shortlist for the topic.
Reading this in my last reading slot of the day was a good way to end, and a stop at dazzquays provided a satisfying close to the reading session, content that ends a day well rather than agitating it before sleep is the kind I value increasingly and this site fits that role for me consistently now.
Will be sharing this with a couple of people who care about the topic, and a stop at grant-jt added more material worth passing along, the kind of site that is generous with quality content and does not make you jump through hoops to access it which is appreciated more than the team probably realises.
Now adding this to a list of sites I want to see flourish, and a stop at ablebonus reinforced that wish, the few sites I actively root for are sites that produce the kind of work I want more of in the world and this one has joined that small list based on what I have read so far.
Generally I find the content on similar topics frustrating in specific ways and this post avoided all of them, and a look at refinedcommerceplatform continued that frustration free experience, content that sidesteps the standard failure modes of its genre is content with editorial awareness and this site has clearly studied what fails elsewhere consistently.
Solid information that lines up with what I have been hearing from other reliable sources, and after my visit to northdawns I was even more certain of that, this site checks out which is something I value highly when so many places online play loose with the facts to chase a quick click.
During a reading session that included several other sources this one stood out, and a look at bauxable continued the standout quality, the side by side comparison of sources during research is a useful exercise and this site has been winning those comparisons for me consistently across multiple research sessions during the last week.
Loved the writing voice here, friendly without being fake and confident without being arrogant, and a stop at conexbuilt carried the same tone forward, the kind of personality that makes a reader feel welcome rather than lectured at which is a balance plenty of writers struggle to find no matter how long they have been at it.
Came in expecting another generic take and got something with actual character instead, and a look at crustcocoa carried that personality forward, finding a distinct voice on a saturated topic is impressive and worth pointing out when it happens because most sites end up sounding identical to their nearest competitors quickly.
Decided this was the kind of site I would defend in a discussion about good blog content, and a stop at astrebee reinforced that, very few sites earn active defence rather than passive consumption and this one has clearly crossed that threshold for me without needing any explicit pitch from the writers themselves either.
Reading this in a relaxed evening setting was a small pleasure, and a stop at bookbulb extended the pleasant evening reading, content that fits the tone of relaxed time without becoming forgettable is what I look for in evening reading and this site has the right tone for that particular slot in my daily reading routine.
Thanks for the breakdown, it gave me a clearer picture of something I had been confused about for a while now, and a stop at buffbaron closed the remaining gaps in my understanding nicely, no need to hunt around twenty other articles to put the pieces together which is a real time saver.
Reading carefully here has reminded me what reading carefully feels like, and a look at clockcard extended that reminder, the experience of careful reading versus skimming is different in ways I had partially forgotten and this site has clearly refreshed my memory of what attention feels like when content rewards it consistently.
A piece that did exactly what it promised in the headline without overshooting or underdelivering, and a look at suncrestcrafthouse continued that calibration, alignment between promise and delivery is a basic editorial virtue that many sites fail at and this site has clearly mastered the matching of expectation and substance throughout pieces.
Now adding the homepage to my regular check rotation rather than waiting for individual links to find me, and a stop at portguild confirmed the rotation upgrade, the move from passive discovery to active checking is a vote of confidence in a sites ongoing quality and this site has earned that active engagement clearly.
Thanks for the clean writing, no broken sentences and no awkward translations like some other sites have, and a quick stop at edendomes kept that polish going nicely, it really does make a difference when a reader can move through a page without tripping on every line or going back to reread.
Appreciate the practical examples, they made the abstract points easier to grasp, and a stop at chordaria added more of the same, this site clearly understands that real examples beat empty theory every single time which is the mark of a writer who knows their audience well and respects their time.
Felt the writer did the homework before publishing, the references hold up, and a look at deepchord continued that documented care, content with traceable claims rather than vague assertions is the kind I trust and the lack of bald assertion in this post is one of its quietly impressive qualities for me.
This filled in a gap in my understanding that I had not even noticed was there, and a stop at aeonbrawn did the same, the kind of post that gives you more than you expected when you first clicked through from somewhere else, a real find for anyone curious about the area covered here.
More substantial than most of what I find searching for this topic online, and a stop at pacecabin kept that quality consistent, this is one of those sites where the writing actually rewards careful reading rather than punishing the patient reader with empty filler stretched out across long paragraphs that say very little.
Took the time to read every paragraph rather than skimming for the punchline, and a quick visit to findhappinessdaily earned the same careful attention from me, that is the highest signal I can give about content quality because my default mode is rapid scanning rather than deliberate reading on most pages.
Reading this triggered a small but real correction in something I had assumed, and a stop at bauxable extended that corrective effect, content that updates my beliefs through evidence rather than rhetoric is content with intellectual integrity and this site has earned that label consistently across the pieces I have read so far today.
Now feeling the post has earned a proper recommendation rather than a casual mention, and a stop at globehavens reinforced the recommendation strength, the difference between mentioning and recommending is a small editorial distinction I observe in my own conversations and this site has earned the upgraded recommendation level from me confidently today.
Genuinely useful read, the points are practical and easy to apply right away, and a quick look at choice-eats confirmed that this site is consistent in that approach, looking forward to digging through the rest of it when I get the chance to sit down properly later in the week or this weekend.
A piece that prompted a small mental rearrangement of how I order related ideas, and a look at thespeakeasybuffalo extended that rearranging effect, content that affects the structure of my thinking rather than just adding to it is content with the deepest kind of impact and this site is reaching that depth for me today.
Bookmark earned and the bookmark feels like a permanent addition rather than a maybe, and a look at cotboil confirmed that permanent status, the difference between durable bookmarks and ephemeral ones is something I have learned to feel quickly and this site triggered the durable feeling almost immediately during my first read here.
Now sitting with the thoughts the post triggered rather than rushing on to the next thing, and a stop at cryptbeach extended that reflective pause, content that earns time for thought after closing the tab is content of higher value than the merely interesting and this site has clearly produced that lasting effect today.
Felt the writer respected the topic without being precious about it, and a look at intentionalhomeandstyle continued that respectful but unfussy treatment, finding the right register for serious topics is hard and this site has clearly figured out how to take the topic seriously while still being readable for casual visitors regularly.
Easy to recommend, the content speaks for itself without needing additional praise from me, and a stop at etherfairs only adds more reasons to send people this way, the kind of generous resource that benefits its readers without demanding anything in return is increasingly rare and worth recognising clearly today across the broader open internet.
Decided this was the kind of site I would defend in a discussion about good blog content, and a stop at buffbey reinforced that, very few sites earn active defence rather than passive consumption and this one has clearly crossed that threshold for me without needing any explicit pitch from the writers themselves either.
Started imagining how I would explain the topic to someone else after reading, and a look at astrebee gave me more material for that imagined explanation, content that improves my own ability to discuss a topic is content that has actually transferred knowledge rather than just decorating my screen for a few minutes.
A piece that suggested careful editing without showing the marks of the editing, and a look at boneclog continued that invisible polish, the best editing disappears into the prose and this site reads as having been edited with skill that does not announce itself which is the highest compliment I can offer any blog content.
Nice to see a post that does not try to overcomplicate the basics for the sake of looking smart, and once I looked at draftlogs the same direct tone was there too, which honestly makes a difference when you are short on time and want answers without long pointless intros.
Picked this for my morning read because the topic seemed worth the time, and a look at jetdomes confirmed the choice was right, my morning reading slot is precious and giving it to this site felt like a good investment rather than a waste which is a higher endorsement than I usually offer for content.
Generally I find the content on similar topics frustrating in specific ways and this post avoided all of them, and a look at portmill continued that frustration free experience, content that sidesteps the standard failure modes of its genre is content with editorial awareness and this site has clearly studied what fails elsewhere consistently.