Progressives seek to neutralize AIPAC’s spending threats

[Pelican Press 0]

Progressives seek to neutralize AIPAC’s spending threats

The promise of an onslaught of spending from the ********* ******* Public Affairs Committee has loomed over Democratic primaries for months — but it hasn’t yet materialized.

Progressives critical of *******, however, think they can exploit even the threat of AIPAC’s involvement in their races, in yet another sign of the schism among Democrats over the escalating *******-****** war.

Their digital ads warn of the group’s influence and seek to energize small-dollar donors. Advocacy groups supporting them have formed an anti-AIPAC coalition to coordinate a defense against the expected influx of cash. Progressive incumbents have sought assistance from their leadership, demanding unified party support to block challenges.

It’s an effort to neutralize AIPAC, which has vowed to drop $100 million this cycle to support pro-******* candidates, including ousting progressives, in part, for their support for Palestinians amid the war. And there are some signs it may be working. Days after Iran’s ******* on *******, the deep-pocketed lobby group still has yet to turn on the spigots in primaries against some prominent progressives, like Rep.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(D-Pa.), the first member of the ******** “Squad” to face a primary this year.

And in the few races AIPAC has jumped into, it has had a limited track record so far. That’s made the group a more effective foil, at least so far, than the heavyweight player many on the left had feared it would be in Democratic primaries.

AIPAC’s affiliated super PAC, ******* Democracy Project, has spent around $6 million on advertising this year, according to ad tracker AdImpact. Most of that — around $4 million — was against David Min, a progressive running for outgoing California Democratic Rep.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

‘s seat. Min ended up winning a spot in the top-two primary system anyway, and the candidate UDP backed didn’t. Though it hasn’t directly spent in their races yet, AIPAC has still bundled hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions for the primary challengers to Squad members Reps.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(D-N.Y.) and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(D-Mo.).

Much of progressives’ attacks have centered on the groups’ donors: *********** donors — including former Home Depot CEO Bernie Marcus and billionaire financier Paul Singer — are among its contributors. (Major Democratic donors also give to AIPAC.) Progressives also note that the group has endorsed candidates who voted against certifying the 2020 election.

“Hopefully where we’ve been successful is in letting people know that their money should be considered toxic in a primary. Because this is not genuinely Democratic money coming into a Democratic primary to elect a Democrat,” said Rep.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(D-Wis.), a leader of the Progressive Caucus’ political arm who’s been vocal in opposition to the group’s influence.

AIPAC pushes back on that characterization. AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann said in a statement that its PACs support “scores of pro-******* progressives who understand it is entirely consistent with progressive values to support the ******* state. We oppose extremist anti-******* detractors who seek to undermine America’s support for *******’s right to defend itself against Iranian ********** proxies.”

The full scope of AIPAC’s and UDP’s spending is yet to be seen, given that most primary campaigns are not in full swing yet. But there’s one particularly notable gap right now: Lee’s race in Pennsylvania’s 12th District. Lee had been a top AIPAC target in 2022, when it spent millions of dollars against her — but now, less than a week out from the Pennsylvania primary, she hasn’t faced any outside spending from the group.

That hasn’t stopped Lee from railing against the group. The campaign has warned of AIPAC’s ability to flood the race with money, and she criticizes her primary opponent, Edgewood Borough Council Member Bhavini Patel, for her links to deep-pocketed GOP donors.

Lee said she spoke out against AIPAC throughout her campaign because “our voters have a right to know that when they see ads funded by the ‘******* Democracy Project,’ it’s actually a right-wing lobby.”

Patrick Dorton, a spokesperson for UDP, said the group is still monitoring 15 to 20 races on both sides of the aisle, “looking carefully at opportunities to prevent anti-******* candidates from being elected to Congress.”

Lee has, however, attracted negative spending from Moderate PAC, a group funded primarily by GOP megadonor Jeff Yass that has poured in hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting Patel. (At a debate earlier this month, Patel said she “denounces” Yass, who is linked to former President Donald Trump.)

Lee is leaning on that outside spending — both the actual money coming in from Moderate PAC and the anticipated cash from AIPAC —

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

to broadly ******* “***********-funded super PACs.” Other progressives have similarly used the threat of AIPAC’s involvement on the campaign trail and in fundraising pleas. It’s been a particularly popular topic for fellow members of the Squad, which AIPAC spent millions unsuccessfully trying to block from Congress in the midterms.

“Dark money super PACs like AIPAC donated huge sums of money to amplify Ilhan’s opponent last cycle and are preparing to do so again to defeat our movement,” Rep.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(D-Minn.)

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

. “We need all of the support we can get to ****** back and WIN.”

Omar, in a statement, told POLITICO: “No Democrat should be accepting money from a group that openly supports and funds over one hundred *********** insurrectionists.”

But Omar’s primary — which is months away — hasn’t seen any outside intervention from AIPAC, according to AdImpact. And she has raised hefty sums, raking in over $1.7 million last quarter.

UDP

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

against Omar in 2022, when she faced former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels, who’s also seeking a rematch this time. So far, the super PAC hasn’t placed any ad reservations in the race, nor has AIPAC endorsed her competitors.

Some of the other most outspoken critics of the ******** government, like Reps.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(D-Mich.) and

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(D-Mass.), aren’t even facing competitive primaries this cycle (despite some unsuccessful attempts to recruit challengers). But they too have leaned into the anti-AIPAC messaging. Tlaib has run

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

explicitly

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

for “spending millions against progressive women of ******,”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

“Every Democratic candidate running for any elected office should be condemning AIPAC spending,” said Usamah Andrabi, spokesperson for the progressive Justice Democrats.

In anticipation of the spending barrage, ******* AIPAC — a coalition of progressive groups including Justice Democrats, along with ******* and ******* advocacy groups — launched this cycle to counteract AIPAC’s opposition campaign. The coalition, which aims to defend the AIPAC-targeted candidates, last week put out a video

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

But while AIPAC and UDP have stayed out of some high-profile progressives’ races so far, the groups in recent weeks have waded into House primaries where the *******-****** war hasn’t been anywhere near the center of attention.

******* Democracy Project played in Illinois’ 7th District against **** ********* prevention advocate Kina Collins, who unsuccessfully challenged longtime Democratic Rep.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

. The group spent around $500,000 on advertisements and mailers opposing her, according to campaign finance filings.

UDP entered Indiana’s 8th District earlier this month, a deep-red open seat, where the group is targeting former *********** Rep. John Hostettler. The group launched an ad slamming him for his

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

The group has also reserved over $1 million in airtime in Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District to boost state Sen. Sarah Elfreth. She is running against a crowded field of candidates that includes former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, who rose to prominence after the Jan. 6 insurrection. Dunn objected to the group entering the race, and started

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

saying: “You’d think after Jan. 6, we’d see change. But greedy corporations and corrupt politicians went back to rigging the system.”

Dunn had vowed to be a supporter of ******* and ******* people in a position paper he previously provided to AIPAC. In the document, obtained by POLITICO, Dunn name-checked lawmakers who’d been strong ******* allies, like former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and Rep.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

(D-Md.), as influencing his views.

Elfreth campaign manager Pat Murray said in a statement she was fighting to change the campaign finance system but would be “playing by the rules as they exist today, and we are not going to turn down help.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#Progressives #seek #neutralize #AIPACs #spending #threats

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up