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Nearly Two-Thirds of All Campaign Funds for Cori Bush Challenger Came From AIPAC
"Wesley Bell is now the No. 1 recipient of AIPAC cash this cycle—receiving $3 million and counting," Justice Democrats noted.
Jul 30, 2024
Almost two-thirds of all campaign donations to St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell—who is seeking to oust Congresswoman Cori Bush in next week's Democratic primary for Missouri's 1st Congressional District—came from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's super PAC, according to reporting on Tuesday.
Sludge reported that Bell enjoys a 5:1 cash-on-hand advantage over Bush, according to Federal Election Commission filings. Overall, Bell's campaign raised $4.8 million while Bush's took in $2.9 million as of July 17 in what AdImpacts Politics says is already the fifth-most expensive House primary race in U.S. history.
The most expensive House primary took place earlier this year, when AIPAC's super PAC, United Democracy Project (UDP), spent $14.5 million on Westchester County, New York Executive George Latimer's successful bid to unseat Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.).
Like Bowman, Bush has been a vocal critic of Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed or wounded more than 140,000 Palestinians and is the subject of an International Court of Justice genocide case. Bush co-led a House cease-fire resolution introduced less than two weeks after Israel began bombarding Gaza. She has accused Israel of genocide.
Bell, meanwhile, has vowed to "fight to make sure the United States remains Israel's strongest ally."
UDP has spent heavily against candidates critical of Israel, and Bell is now the top recipient of AIPAC money this election cycle. St. Louis
NBC affiliate KSDK reported Monday that UDP and other pro-Israel PACs have spent $7.6 million boosting Bell.
Bell launched his primary bid in October after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel that left more than 1,100 Israelis and others dead and around 240 people kidnapped. At the time, he was already running for Republican U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley's seat. His House bid came despite a promise to Bush that he would not run against her. On Tuesday, Drop Site's Ryan Grim published an audio recording of Bell's promise.
According to Drop Site, AIPAC recruited Bell from a list of Black politicians with a chance of unseating Bush. AIPAC called this assertion "false and absurd."
Bell portrays himself as a progressive. However, he formerly managed the 2006 House campaign of Republican Mark Byrne, an anti-abortion and gun control candidate. More recently, he reneged on a promise to the family of Michael Brown—the 18-year-old who was fatally shot by Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson—to pursue justice in the case by declining to criminally charge Wilson. Bell has also overseen a steady increase in the St. Louis County Jail's population at a time when the overall U.S. prison and jail population declined.
Bell's campaign is funded by Republicans including billionaire hedge fund founder and prolific GOP donor Daniel Loeb, billionaire tech CEO David Steward, and former Missouri House Speaker Steven Tilley. An analysis published last month by Politico revealed that 46% of donors who have given to Democratic candidates via AIPAC this election cycle have also funded Republicans since the 2020 cycle.
Such support doesn't always buy results, as Congresswoman Summer Lee (D-Pa.) showed when she defeated her Democratic primary opponent Bhavini Patel, who took money from Republican megadonors including billionaire businessman Jeffrey Yass. UDP spent $5 million trying—and failing—to unseat Lee, who crushed Patel by over 20 percentage points in the April primary.
AIPAC's largesse has sparked a #RejectAIPAC campaign urging Democrats to refuse to take money from the group.
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'Insult to Democracy': Sanders Says Citizens United the Real Story of Bowman Defeat
"Campaigns should be about a clash of ideas, not which candidate can raise more money from the oligarchs," Sanders said after the defeat of Bowman, a progressive who was the target of huge dark-money spending.
Jun 26, 2024
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday responded to the defeat of Rep. Jamaal Bowman, whom outside groups spent record-breaking sums to oust in a Democratic primary in New York this week, by condemning Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission and calling for a public campaign finance system.
Outside groups, mainly super political action committees (PACs), poured in more than $17.7 million to oust Bowman (D-N.Y.) and less than $3 million to help him. The beneficiary of the lopsided spending was challenger George Latimer, a Westchester County official, who won the primary with about 58% of the vote to Bowman's 42%.
Progressives have decried the role of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which, through its super PAC, paid more than $14 million for ads that either supported Latimer, who is pro-Israel, or attacked Bowman, who is pro-Palestine—the most ever spent on a U.S. House of Representatives race by a non-party-affiliated group.
Sanders (I-Vt.), in a statement, drew a wider target: the campaign finance system that AIPAC was able to exploit.
He called for a reversal of the "disastrous" Citizens United decision—a 2010 Supreme Court ruling that allowed unlimited outside spending on elections, on the basis of freedom of speech, increasing the power of rich donors and corporations.
"Buying elections is not 'freedom of speech'," Sanders, who campaigned for Bowman, said.
"It is an outrage and an insult to democracy that we maintain a corrupt campaign finance system which allows billionaire-funded super PACs to buy elections," he added.
The pundits will draw their conclusions about the NY-16 race. Here’s mine:
$23m was spent to defeat @JamaalBowmanNY.
It is an outrage and an insult to democracy that we maintain a corrupt campaign finance system which allows billionaire-funded super PACs to buy elections. pic.twitter.com/x3W8JlLwK3
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 26, 2024
Sanders' statement comes amid a flurry of analyses of the race from legacy media outlets, many of which frame the result as a blow to the left wing of the Democratic Party.
"Bowman's win in 2020 seemed to herald an ascendant progressive movement," according to The New York Times. "In 2024, the center is regaining power."
As The Atlantic reported, "The New York progressive veered too far left of his constituents."
Neither article mentions Citizens United or campaign finance reform, or the fact that redistricting in 2022 left far more of Bowman's seat in the suburbs than had been the case in 2020, with just a small slice in the Bronx that remained in the 16th district.
Bowman won 84% of the vote in the northern slice of the Bronx that remained in his district, but was beaten soundly in Westchester County, which is wealthy and has a sizable Jewish population that mobilized for Latimer.
Bowman had weaknesses as a candidate that may also make his race of limited use as a bellwether in other centrist v. progressive primary battles, the most notable of which features Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) against an AIPAC-backed challenger, Wesley Bell. Polling shows a very tight race.
Bowman received some criticism after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor for pulling a fire alarm at the Capitol last year, in what he said was an accident. He has also been accused of "subpar constituent work," according to The New Republic.
Most notably, Bowman was caught on video saying that claims of Hamas sexual violence on October 7 were unsubstantiated "propaganda," though he later reversed his position and condemned the sexual violence.
If the political establishment has drawn significance from the Bowman defeat, it's a significance that progressives to some degree invited, albeit in a different framing.
During the campaign, Sanders had called the Bowman-Latimer race "one of the most important in the modern history of America" because it was about whether the "billionaire class" could control Congress.
For Sanders, the lesson of the race should be the need for fundamental reforms, including the abolishment of Citizens United and the institution of public campaign finance mechanisms.
"We must also move to the public funding of elections," Sanders said. "Campaigns should be about a clash of ideas, not which candidate can raise more money from the oligarchs."
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'Dangerous Precedent': Record AIPAC Spending Helps George Latimer Defeat Jamaal Bowman
"Jamaal and our movement were such a threat to right-wing power, to GOP megadonors, and to AIPAC's influence in Congress that they had to spend $15 million to defeat us," said one progressive organizer.
Jun 26, 2024
Progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman lost his reelection bid in New York's 16th Congressional District on Tuesday to an establishment-backed county official whose campaign was propelled by nearly $15 million in spending by AIPAC's Republican-funded super PAC.
The United Democracy Project's (UDP) spending made the Democratic primary contest the most expensive House race in U.S. history. According to a Sludge analysis of independent election expenditures dating back to 2001, UDP's $14.5 million onslaught to oust Bowman was "more than any other group besides those affiliated with a political party has ever spent on a House election."
The investment paid off, with Westchester County Executive George Latimer leading Bowman by a margin of 58% to 42% with close to 90% of the vote counted in the 16th District, which was redrawn ahead of the 2022 midterms to include more of suburban Westchester County and less of the Bronx.
Bowman, a former Bronx middle school principal who won his House seat in 2020 by defeating AIPAC favorite Eliot Engel, said in his concession speech late Tuesday that "we should be outraged when a super PAC of dark money can spend $20 million to brainwash people into believing something that isn't true."
"When we say 'Free Palestine,' it is not antisemitic," said Bowman, one of the House's most vocal critics of Israel's assault on Gaza. A majority of Democratic voters in the U.S. believe Israel is committing genocide in the Palestinian enclave, according to a recent survey.
"I would like to make a public apology for sometimes using foul language," he added, referring to remarks he made during a rally over the weekend. "But we should not be well-adjusted to a sick society."
"If you stand by while far-right groups try to buy elections, you further alienate and disillusion the young voters and voters of color you need to reelect Joe Biden this November."
Alexandra Rojas of Justice Democrats, the progressive group that recruited Bowman for the 2020 contest against Engel, said late Tuesday that "Jamaal and our movement were such a threat to right-wing power, to GOP megadonors, and to AIPAC's influence in Congress that they had to spend $15 million to defeat us."
"This demonstrates the power of our people-funded movement, the strength that any single progressive with the moral clarity to stand up to far-right interests has, and just how on defense AIPAC really is," said Rojas. "AIPAC knows the future is not on their side, so they have no choice but to overwhelm, confuse, and depress voters with a flood of dark money to generate support for their candidates. That's exactly why they pledged to spend an unprecedented $100 million to unseat the Squad this year."
Rojas said her organization is now turning its attention to Rep. Cori Bush's (D-Mo.) August 6 primary against St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, whose campaign is backed by AIPAC and Republican donors—including a billionaire CEO from St. Louis.
"We cannot give in to hopelessness or cynicism—we must fight back, NOW," said Rojas. "Let's come together in this difficult moment and do what it takes to stop AIPAC from unseating another one of our progressive champions this summer."
While Bowman fell to Latimer, another Squad member—Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.)—cruised to victory in her primary, winning more than 80% of the vote against investment banker Marty Dolan. AIPAC's super PAC did not spend in the race, according to available disclosures.
" Wall Street came for us again, and the people prevailed," Ocasio-Cortez wrote on Twitter following her victory. "Thank you to the Bronx and Queens for choosing me to be your congresswoman."
Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.), another Squad member, also fended off a primary challenge earlier this year, overcoming a torrent of right-wing dark money. AIPAC sat out this year's race after failing to defeat Lee in 2022.
But Emgage, a PAC that works to turn out Muslim American voters, said Tuesday that Bowman's defeat at the hands of a candidate loaded with UDP cash "sets a dangerous precedent for groups like AIPAC to influence local elections and crush people-led politics."
"It should sound the alarm for Democrats and Americans across the country who believe in collective organizing to advance positive change for communities that are often sidelined in American politics," the group said. Axios reported Wednesday that some House Democrats are quietly "grumbling" about AIPAC's massive spending to defeat Bowman.
"The number is gross... I don't like it," one unnamed Democratic lawmaker told the outlet.
Aru Shiney-Ajay, executive director of the youth-led Sunrise Movement, echoed Emgage's message, saying in a statement that "Democrats should see this race as a massive warning for November."
"If you stand by while far-right groups try to buy elections, you further alienate and disillusion the young voters and voters of color you need to reelect Joe Biden this November," said Shiney-Ajay. "Here's my warning to Democratic leadership: reject AIPAC, or risk losing your own base."
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Bowman Calls for Primary Voters to Reject AIPAC Money at Rally With Sanders, AOC
Flanked by progressive heavyweights, Rep. Jamaal Bowman called for "the many" to defeat "the money" of AIPAC, which has set funding records in its effort to help defeat the pro-Palestine Congressman.
Jun 22, 2024
Congressman Jamaal Bowman, a prominent critic of Israel's war on Gaza, called on Saturday for voters to defeat the influence of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which has poured millions of dollars into defeating him, as he made his final campaign push before the Democratic primary in New York's 16th Congressional District on Tuesday.
The contest has seen one of the largest influxes of money of any U.S. House of Representatives primary race in history, mainly because of AIPAC's super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), which has spent more than any interest group has ever spent on a House race—more than $14 million, according to The New York Times.
"AIPAC is scared to death," Bowman (D-N.Y.) said at an animated rally in the Bronx in which Sen. Bernie Sander (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) also spoke. "They are afraid they have already lost," he said, citing public opposition to AIPAC's agenda.
"They are in this race because we called for a permanent cease-fire in Gaza," Bowman said of AIPAC. "And we’re going to keep calling for a permanent cease-fire."
Progressive standard-bearers Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez came to the rally, where placards read "for the many, not the money," to help stave off a possible Bowman defeat to challenger George Latimer, a pro-Israel Democrat who leads in the polls. An Emerson College poll from early June showed Latimer up 17 points, 48% to 31%. The race has been seen as a bellwether for the fate of other pro-Palestine progressives such as Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who faces a primary challenge in August.
It is TWO million degrees but we are happy to be alive folks @JamaalBowmanNY @AOC @BernieSanders take The Bronx pic.twitter.com/Q0KArxNOWm
— Anna Bahr (@anna_bahr) June 22, 2024
Latimer has not just the backing of AIPAC but also some local support and connections. He is the Westchester County Executive and has political clout there—Politico called him "the Cher of suburban New York." The 16th district includes the southern part of the county and a slice of the northern Bronx, giving it a wide mix of demographics.
Latimer was accused by Bowman and others of using an Islamophobic dog whistle in a recent debate, when Latimer said that Bowman's constituency was Dearborn, Michigan—a majority Arab-American city.
In a blow to Bowman, who has described himself as an "outspoken Black man," Jewish voters in the county recently formed Westchester Unites, a group that has mobilized votes for Latimer, including a substantial proportion of the early and mail-in voting that's already underway.
The race has been "nationalized," or "Israelized," as The Nation's Richard Lingeman wrote, with the two candidates' positions on Gaza dictating their fundraising hauls.
The Times reported that UDP was spending up to "$17,000 an hour" and "filling television screens, stuffing mailboxes, and clogging phone lines with caustic attacks." Other pro-Israel groups have also given money.
UDP's ads and messages "almost never" mention Israel, the Times noted. This is in keeping with AIPAC's strategy in races across the country as support for Israel's war on Gaza wanes.
Yet the groups attacking Bowman plan to put forward a different message if the race goes they way they want.
"Assuming the outcome is as we expect it, the message is going to be that being pro-Israel is not just wise policy, it's smart politics," said Mark Mellman, founder of the Democratic Majority for Israel, an advocacy group that spent $1 million against Bowman, told the Times.
Marshall Wittmann, an AIPAC spokesman, told the Times that Latimer was "pro-Israel" while "Jamaal Bowman has refused to support the Jewish state as it fights a moral and just war against Iranian terrorist proxies."
The pro-Israel lobby's all-out attack on Bowman for his opposition to the war led Karen Attiah, columnist at The Washington Post, to label its strategy as "shut up or else"—a way of using money to silence public criticism of Israel.
Sanders, who campaigned with Bowman both Friday and Saturday, emphasized the same disturbing dimension to AIPAC's efforts. "This is the message of this campaign: You stand up to powerful interests, they will try to bring you down,” he told the Times.
"Are we a democracy or an oligarchy?" Sanders wrote on social media Thursday, pointing to AIPAC's spending in the Bowman race.
People in New York have also expressed opposition to AIPAC's attempt to influence a local race.
"The funding toward Latimer from AIPAC has definitely turned me off a lot," Sasha Fuller, a 23-year old who attended a Bowman rally on Friday, told the Times. "He’s kind of a more traditional corporate Democrat, so I don’t really support his politics."
Just as Bowman argued that AIPAC was scared, some of his supporters have found a silver lining in the group's blitz of attack ads. Jeremy Cohan, spokesperson for the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, said the spending was a sign of change, as public opinion moves further from the positions of groups like AIPAC.
"I do see it as, to some degree, a sign of desperation," Cohan told Al Jazeera.
“They are doing that because they see where the tides are moving," he added. "They see where history is moving.”
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Bowman v. Latimer Is About Whether Billionaires Control Congress, Says Sanders
The Democratic incumbent's defeat in New York, the senator warns, "would be a message to every member of Congress that if you oppose corporate interests the billionaire class will take you down."
Jun 18, 2024
With early voting already underway in New York, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders warned Tuesday that Westchester County Executive George Latimer's primary challenge to Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman in the state's 16th District is ultimately about the power of the ultrarich.
"The Democratic primary between Rep. Jamaal Bowman and George Latimer is not just a clash of two very different points of view. It is a clash over the future of the Democratic Party and the future of American politics," said Sanders (I-Vt.). "It is a clash over whether we will have, at least minimally, a democratic form of government in which Congress represents the needs of ordinary Americans, or whether Congress will be completely controlled by the billionaire class and corporate interests."
Sanders' statement came as the senator prepares to rally with Bowman on Friday at MacEachron Park in Hastings-on-Hudson. On Saturday, they are set to be joined by Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York's 14th District, for a get-out-the-vote rally at St. Mary's Park in the Bronx. The official primary date is June 25.
Bowman—a critic of the U.S.-backed Israeli war on Gaza—has been the top congressional target of pro-Israel lobbying groups during this cycle. In fact, largely thanks to spending by a group tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), "it had become the nation's most expensive House primary this year," Gannett reported this week.
United Democracy Project (UPD), an AIPAC-affiliated super political action committee (PAC), has spent over $14 million on advertising for the contest, according to AdImpact. The group is followed by Latimer—who filed paperwork for his campaign after visiting Israel and was accused of "straight up Islamophobia" during a debate with Bowman last week.
"Latimer's campaign will attract more billionaire super PAC money than any primary race in history," Sanders said Tuesday. "The donors behind these super PACs, AIPAC's United Democracy Project and the crypto-backed Fairshake, are not only spending a huge amount of money to support Latimer's campaign, but are also making large donations to right-wing extremist Republican candidates."
"For the billionaires who control these super PACs, it doesn't matter much whether you are a Democrat or a Republican. It only matters that you support the corporate agenda and Establishment neo-con foreign policies," he continued. "The defeat of Bowman would not only result in the loss of a strong, progressive member of Congress, it would be a message to every member of Congress that if you oppose corporate interests the billionaire class will take you down. We must not allow that to happen."
Sharing Sanders' full remarks on social media, Bowman said that "AIPAC and their Republican billionaire donors are using NY16 as a test. They think they can buy our district—but we won't let them. On June 25th it's the many v. the money, and we will win."
Fellow "Squad" member Ocasio-Cortez also took aim at AIPAC on social media Tuesday, declaring that it is "time to rally."
"Big money, from AIPAC to Wall Street, have poured millions to buy this election," she said, urging participation in the Saturday rally. "To win, we must mobilize thousands."
In addition to targeting Bowman, AIPAC, UDP, and wealthy right-wingers are working to oust another Squad member: Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush, who is facing St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell the August 6 primary for Missouri's 1st District.
"We've got your back, Jamaal Bowman!" Bush declared on social media last week. "From St. Louis to the Bronx, I know the people will stand with us to show that we are #NotForSale!"
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Bowman Opponent Accused of 'Straight Up Islamophobia' During Debate
George Latimer said that Rep. Jamaal Bowman's constituency was "Dearborn, Michigan." Later, Bowman said that "this Islamophobic dogwhistle shows the difference between my opponent and me."
Jun 11, 2024
George Latimer, who is challenging Rep. Jamaal Bowman in a Democratic primary in New York's 16th Congressional District, was accused of Islamophobia following a debate Monday night in which he said that Bowman's constituency was Dearborn, Michigan—a majority Arab-American city.
Latimer has received more money from the the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) than any other candidate in the country this cycle and, in contrast to Bowman (D-N.Y.), has taken strongly pro-Israel positions, drawing the ire of progressives and Arab-American groups. His latest comments, in an online debate on Monday, came during an attack on Bowman for purportedly not being engaged enough in the district's communities.
"What [Bowman's] done is give speeches all across the country," Latimer said. "When you get as much money as you get from outside the district, your constituency is Dearborn, Michigan. Your constituency is San Francisco, California. It's not Harrison. It's not Tuckahoe. It's not Scarsdale. You're not even there to be part of the events of those communities."
Mehdi Hasan, founder of Zeteo News, said Latimer was engaging in "straight up Islamophobia."
Straight up Islamophobia. Shameful. https://t.co/sZ541QLMI4
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) June 11, 2024
The Arab American Institute also rebuked Latimer's comments. "Shame on Latimer for thinking the city with the highest concentration of Arab Americans is a way to attack Bowman," the group wrote on social media. "We're everyone's constituency and anti-Arab racism must be condemned."
John Nichols, political correspondent for The Nation, said the approach by Latimer should be revealing for New Yorkers in the district.
"Latimer is running as a Democrat, while relying on Republican attack lines" against Bowman, observed Nichols, while Bowman "is running as a Democrat who rejects Republican attack lines. That should make the task easier for Democratic primary voters."
Bowman, a member of the left-wing 'Squad' in the U.S. House of Representatives and a primary electoral target of pro-Israel groups, himself voiced a similar sentiment, arguing that "this Islamophobic dogwhistle shows the difference between my opponent and me."
"I love our Muslim and Arab neighbors in NY16 just like I love our Jewish, white, and Black neighbors here and across the country," Bowman wrote. "I'm fighting for all of us."
During the debate, Bowman also drew attention to other issues. For example, he attacked Latimer for failing to support higher taxes on the rich.
"My opponent does not support President [Joe] Biden's initiative to raise taxes on the wealthy," Bowman said, according to News12 Westchester. "He supports Donald Trump's tax cuts, which is unacceptable for any Democrat to be in this seat or any seat across the country."
Despite Latimer's claim that Bowman was receiving outside money, it is he, the Westchester County official and former member of the New York state senate, who has benefited from the overwhelming majority of outside funds coming into the race, most notably $9,297,987 from the United Democracy Project, AIPAC's super PAC, according to OpenSecrets data.
The Democratic primary will be held on June 25. The winner will be heavily favored to defeat the Republican candidate in November—Bowman did so by nearly 30 points in 2022.
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Fresh Calls to 'Reject AIPAC' After Analysis of GOP Money in Dem Primaries
"George Latimer in New York and Wesley Bell in Missouri are trying to become Democratic members of Congress off millions of dollars of money from rich right-wing Republicans," said one group.
Jun 09, 2024
Politico reported Sunday that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee "the biggest source of Republican money flowing into competitive Democratic primaries this year," sparking new calls for candidates and voters nationwide to #RejectAIPAC.
"If you don't want Republican megadonors to choose your next Democratic congressperson for you, then there's only one option: #RejectAIPAC," Naftali Ehrenkranz, digital director at Get Free, said on social media, pointing to the reporting.
Also noting the "bombshell" report, Yonah Lieberman, co-founder of the Jewish American organization IfNotNow, said that "AIPAC is a GOP front group. Democrats who accept their money or endorsement should be shamed out of the party."
Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy senior fellow Nina Turner, a former Democratic congressional candidate, declared, "AIPAC is a right-wing group that buys deep blue seats."
Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, drew a comparison to the National Rifle Association, saying, "Imagine how mainstream Democrats would react if the NRA was the single biggest source of Republicans donating into Democratic primaries."
Support for or criticism of the Israeli government has become a defining issue in this election cycle over the past eight months, as Israel has waged a war on the Gaza Strip that has led to a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. AIPAC, which supports pro-Israel Democratic and Republican candidates, has targeted progressives who oppose the military assault.
"We are proud to engage in the democratic process in a bipartisan way to help elect candidates who support the U.S.-Israel relationship," AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann said in a statement. "Candidates from both parties should welcome the engagement of pro-Israel activists because Americans overwhelmingly stand with the Jewish state. In fact, those who object to our participation only represent a small, extremist fringe."
Gallup polling released in March shows that 55% of Americans disapprove of Israeli military actions in Gaza—which as of Sunday, have killed over 37,000 people, according to local officials. A Pew Research Center survey published last week found that 53% of U.S. adults have little to no confidence that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will "do the right thing regarding world affairs."
Politico put out the findings from its analysis—which is based on a review of Federal Election Commission filings from AIPAC, the ActBlue and WinRed donation platforms, and individual campaigns—a day after thousands of American critics of Israel's war and U.S. complicity in it descended on the White House while Israeli forces slaughtered hundreds more Palestinians.
According to the outlet:
Only about 2% of this cycle's donors to Democratic candidates or through the Democratic giving platform ActBlue have also given to Republicans over the past few cycles, Politico's analysis found. But 46% of donors who have given to Democratic candidates via AIPAC this cycle have given to Republicans since the 2020 cycle.
For Republican donors, giving to Democratic candidates in primaries helps ensure more moderate, pro-Israel candidates win in deep-blue seats where the general election is all but certain to be uncompetitive, and financial support for GOP candidates would be a waste.
The top recipient of AIPAC money—at least $1.61 million—is Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who launched his challenge to Democratic Congressman Jamaal Bowman in New York's 16th Congressional District after visiting Israel.
Responding to the report on social media Sunday, Bowman—who has called Israel's assault on Gaza genocide—said that "Republicans are setting records spending against us. And we're going to break records beating them."
Politico pointed out that "competitive Democratic primaries are also the biggest targets for AIPAC's affiliated super PAC, United Democracy Project, which has already spent $19.8 million in them this year, including $9.3 million in the Bowman-Latimer race. That makes it by far the biggest outside group in Democratic primaries, with more money flowing from UDP than the next 10 biggest spenders combined. (The super PAC has also spent in a handful of GOP primaries, dropping $3 million total.)"
The New York arm of the Working Families Party, which is backing Bowman in the June 25 primary, shared Politico's graph of top AIPAC beneficiaries and stressed that "we must be united in rejecting AIPAC's efforts to subvert our democracy."
After Bowman and two incumbents is St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, at $869,300. He is trying to oust another progressive "Squad" member, Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush, in the August 6 primary for Missouri's 1st District.
"My opponent Wesley Bell is among AIPAC's TOP 4 recipients this cycle—and is gladly taking money from anti-abortion, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-labor, pro-NRA Republicans who expect his loyalty in return above all else," Bush said on social media. "We deserve better. #StLouisIsNotForSale."
Fellow "Squad" member Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) also weighed in, saying, "Hmm it's almost like AIPAC functions as a political slush fund for Republican billionaires and should not have influence in the Democratic Party, let alone our primaries."
People for Bernie—which was initially launched in support of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) 2016 Democratic presidential campaign—said, "Simply put: George Latimer in New York and Wesley Bell in Missouri are trying to become Democratic members of Congress off millions of dollars of money from rich right-wing Republicans."
Justice Democrats, which worked to elect Bowman, Bush, and Ocasio-Cortez, asserted that reelecting the New York and Missouri progressives "is a vote to #RejectAIPAC and Republican donors spending in our elections."
The group also noted Republican President Donald Trump, who is expected to face Democratic President Joe Biden in November. Justice Democrats said, "Now that it's undeniable that AIPAC is *the* vehicle for Republican billionaires to spend in Democratic primaries, you have to ask what type of candidates would be willing to be bought and paid for by Trump donors?"
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AIPAC-Funded Challenger to Jamaal Bowman Has a Very Narrow Definition of Genocide
"Latimer should try listening to survivors and descendants of genocide—from Native communities here to Rwanda to Bosnia to Cambodia to Jews," said one advocacy group.
Mar 29, 2024
Jewish progressives on Friday condemned comments by Westchester County Executive George Latimer, who was recruited by the pro-Israel lobby to challenge progressive Rep. Jamaal Bowman, and who was quoted as saying genocide is defined only as one notorious method that was used by Nazis to kill Jewish people during the Holocaust.
"Genocide is when you create gas chambers and you force people into them to kill them," Latimer said in a recent interview, according to Gothamist. "You cannot put that on an equal equivalent with the military action [in Gaza]."
Latimer's comments came as the death toll in Gaza, which Israel has been bombarding since October, reached at least 32,623 people. At least 17 children are among those who have died of starvation so far, as a near-total blockade of humanitarian aid imposed by Israel has pushed parts of northern Gaza into a famine, according to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification global initiative.
The United Nations' top expert on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories is among those who have documented numerous statements by high-level Israeli officials demonstrating genocidal intent, and said in a report this week that "the overwhelming nature and scale" of Israel's assault shows the country is trying to "physically destroy Palestinians as a group." The International Court of Justice said in January that South Africa's claim that Israel is committing a genocide is "plausible."
Latimer's comments amount to "straight-up genocide denial (using some of the dumbest logic I've seen in a while)," said Naftali Ehrenkranz, digital director for youth-led advocacy group Get Free.
The Jewish-led Palestinian rights group IfNotNow said Latimer had erased with his comments not only "the millions of victims and survivors of genocides in Rwanda, Cambodia, [and] Bosnia," but also 2 million Jewish people who were killed in mass shootings during the Holocaust, up to 1 million who died of starvation and disease in ghettos and concentration camps, and at least 250,000 who were killed in other acts of violence by the Nazi regime.
Roughly 3.3 million Soviet prisoners of war, around 1.8 million non-Jewish Polish people, and as many as 500,000 Romani people were also among those who were killed via various methods during the Holocaust.
"The Genocide Convention was created to describe and prevent the intentional destruction of a group of people. Atrocities too awful to fathom," said Jewish Voice for Peace. "To say otherwise denies the horrors of genocide inflicted upon peoples across the world."
Bowman is one of four members of Congress from New York who have demanded a permanent cease-fire in Gaza, and he has condemned Israel's U.S.-backed military action as an unfolding genocide.
The Intercept reported in February that 42% of Latimer's campaign contributions had come from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), with the pro-Zionist lobbying group donating more than $600,000 to the effort to unseat Bowman.
Latimer "has repeatedly called his opponent's calls unrealistic and out of step with the party," Gothamist reported on Friday, but a poll released late last month by Data for Progress found that 77% of Democratic voters support a permanent cease-fire.
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After Israel Trip, George Latimer Files to Primary Rep. Bowman
While Latimer has said Israel will be a "big issue" but "not the whole issue," one observer predicted that the contest "is going to be the ugliest Democratic proxy war of the 2024 cycle."
Dec 04, 2023
After visiting Israel last week, Westchester County Executive George Latimer on Monday filed paperwork to launch a primary challenge against Democratic New York Congressman Jamaal Bowman, a critic of the Israeli government and its devastating war on the Gaza Strip.
The 70-year-old county executive, who previously served in the New York State Senate and Assembly, has been openly considering a run for the 16th Congressional District—which Bowman has represented since 2021, after successfully primarying former Democratic Rep. Eliot Engel.
Latimer suggested to The Washington Post early last month that if he ran against Bowman, "it might be that this becomes a proxy argument" between "the left and the far left." He later told Politico that Israel would be a "big issue" but "not the whole issue," and his campaign would focus on his record as "the most progressive" county official in the state.
Bowman is the fourth "Squad" member to face a serious primary challenger for 2024, joining Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.). They are all among the eight progressives who in October voted against a bipartisan House resolution expressing unconditional support for Israel's government as it waged war on Gaza.
The four of them also support a resolution demanding a cease-fire in Gaza. While the number of House members calling for a cease-fire has grown to more than four dozen as Israeli forces have killed thousands of Palestinians over the past two months, as The Intercept highlighted last week, "a closer look at some lawmakers' statements raises questions about whether they are truly pushing for an end to the violence."
Latimer does not support a cease-fire. As Politico reported on his trip:
The county executive and former state lawmaker said that his time with Israelis, such as meeting with President Isaac Herzog, taught him that there is "no animosity directed toward the Palestinian people."
"There's people that are protesting that they're pro-Palestine, as if the Israeli position is anti-Palestinian," he said in an interview while waiting to board his return flight at Ben Gurion Airport.
"There wasn't a 'let's go get those bastards' kind of mindset," he said. "The anger and fear is directed at Hamas as the terrorist organization that runs the country and that's a differentiation you don't often pick up."
Since declaring war in retaliation for a Hamas-led attack on October 7, Israel has killed nearly 15,900 Palestinians in Gaza and wounded another 42,000 in airstrikes and raids, according to health officials in the besieged enclave. At least hundreds of those killings have come after the seven-day pause in fighting that ended late last week.
Responding to Latimer's filing on Monday, Slate's Alex Sammon said, "There it is: after weeks of unnecessary hemming and hawing (during which he stockpiled an extra helping of cash from the Israel lobby), George Latimer is challenging Jamaal Bowman, aiming to [replace] one of the party's rising stars as a 70-year-old white freshman congressman."
It was Sammon who reported in mid-November that the lobby group American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is set to "spend at least $100 million in 2024 Democratic primaries, largely trained on eliminating incumbent Squad members" including Bowman, Bush, Omar, Lee, and Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), who had a U.S. Senate candidate reject an offer of $20 million if he instead primaried her, the only Palestinian American in Congress.
Ocasio-Cortez's 2024 campaign said in a Monday email that "AIPAC's top recruit to challenge Jamaal Bowman officially filed his candidacy" and asked supporters to "please chip in right now to help us defend Jamaal and our progressive values."
Along with stressing his support for a cease-fire in Gaza, her campaign pointed out that Bowman is "his district's first Black representative" and "one of the only members of Congress with actual experience working in public education."
Westchester's News 12 reported Monday that while Latimer "is preparing a video announcement over the next 24 hours and will formally launch his campaign by Wednesday," he is not Bowman's only challenger—Democratic "Dobbs Ferry investment banker Martin Dolan also plans to run."
While the contest is considered a test of whether politicians can survive criticizing Israel, some observers noted Monday that in March 2021, as many elected officials—including Bowman and Ocasio-Cortez—called on then-Democratic New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo to resign over outrage about his Covid-19 pandemic response and sexual misconduct allegations, Latimer said the claims should be taken seriously but also drew a comparison to Emmett Till, which he later retracted.
Who wins the next primary for New York's solidly Democratic 16th District could depend on an effort to replace the GOP-friendly map drawn by a court-appointed expert for the 2022 election cycle. City & State reported last month that a new order could mean "the Independent Redistricting Commission—which is led by Latimer's deputy, Ken Jenkins—will have the opportunity to change the boundaries."
"The district currently includes much of Westchester and a sliver of the northern Bronx and is home to many Jewish voters who have turned against Bowman," the outlet explained. "Should the district lines change, it will change the dynamics of the race."
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