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'Taking On AIPAC Again,' Cori Bush Launches Campaign to Win Back House Seat
"I’m running again because St. Louis deserves leadership that doesn’t wait for permission, doesn’t answer to wealthy donors, and doesn’t hide when things get tough."
Oct 03, 2025
Former Democratic Congresswoman Cori Bush is running again in Missouri to reclaim the US House seat from which she was ousted last year amid a tsunami of campaign spending against her and other progressives by the Israel lobby.
"St. Louis deserves a leader who is built different. That’s why I’m running to represent Missouri’s 1st District in Congress," Bush announced Friday on social media. "We need a fighter who will lower costs, protect our communities, and make life fairer. I’ll be that fighter."
“I ran for Congress to change things for regular people,” Bush says in her first 2026 campaign ad. “I’m running again because St. Louis deserves leadership that doesn’t wait for permission, doesn’t answer to wealthy donors, and doesn’t hide when things get tough.”
Bush—a two-term member of the so-called "Squad" of progressive House lawmakers—was defeated in her district's August 2024 Democratic primary by current Rep. Wesley Bell (D-Mo.), a former county prosecutor.
Nearly two-thirds of Bell's campaign funding came from one source: The American Israel Public Affairs Committee's independent expenditures arm and conduit for dark money, the United Democracy Project, which allocated more than $100 million toward defeating candidates AIPAC deemed insufficiently supportive of Israel.
(Image by @TrackAIPAC/X)
UDP also spent heavily last year to defeat then-Congressman Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and to help thwart the Democratic congressional candidacy of Susheela Jayapal in Oregon and former Republican Congressman John Hostettler's comeback bid in Indiana.
AIPAC's largesse was stoked by Bush's steadfast advocacy for Palestine and staunch opposition to Israel's genocidal war on Gaza. It was Bush who, just over a week into Israel's genocidal retaliation for the Hamas-led October 7 attack, introduced the first House ceasefire resolution.
Bush was also one of the first lawmakers to call Israel's annihilation and starvation of Gaza a genocide—as countless observers have since done, including numerous members of Congress, national governments and leaders, jurists, Holocaust scholars, and United Nations experts.
However, it was championing the needs and values of her overwhelmingly working-class community that propelled Bush—who rose to prominence during the Ferguson, Missouri protests against the police killing of unarmed Black man Michael Brown—to her 2020 Democratic primary victory over an opponent whose family had held the 1st Congressional District seat for half a century.
For example, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Bush led a five-day sit-in outside Congress, where she slept rough with other Squad members and persuaded the Biden administration to extend a temporary eviction moratorium. She also secured hundreds of millions of dollars in economic recovery funds via the American Rescue Plan signed by former President Joe Biden in 2021.
While Bell dismissed Bush's comeback bid by contending that "the headlines and controversies of the past aren’t what we need," progressives cheered her reentry into the political arena.
The political action group Our Revolution quickly endorsed Bush, as it had previously done.
BIG NEWS: Cori Bush could officially announced her run for Congress 👀🔥The nurse. The activist. The Congresswoman who camped on the Capitol steps to stop evictions. The one who never backed down. 👇 🧵
[image or embed]
— Our Revolution (@our-revolution.bsky.social) October 3, 2025 at 7:51 AM
"Cori Bush embodies the values of our movement—she is a nurse, a pastor, and an activist who rose up from Ferguson to fight for working families in Congress,” Our Revolution executive director Joseph Geevarghese said in a statement. “She has been a fearless advocate for Medicare for All, student debt cancellation, housing rights, climate justice, and an end to US military support of Israel."
"That’s why oligarchs and dark money super PACs spent millions to buy this seat and silence her voice," he added. "But they cannot silence the people she represents, and Our Revolution is proud to stand with her as she takes back the people’s seat in Missouri’s 1st.”
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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 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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'It's Officially Begun': AIPAC's Dark Money Super PAC Targets Cori Bush
"Organized people beats organized money, and our community is ready to show that St. Louis is not for sale," said the Missouri Democrat.
May 28, 2024
A pro-Israel lobby group's super political action committee trying to unseat progressive members of Congress who condemn the Israeli genocide in the Gaza Strip is this week pouring over a quarter-million dollars into advertising against Rep. Cori Bush.
Jacob Rubashkin of Inside Elections highlighted on social media Tuesday that the United Democracy Project (UDP) is spending at least $216,310 on broadcast and $16,193 on radio.
Politico reported that "data tracked by AdImpact show approximately $320,000 in ad reservations for cable, radio, satellite, and other formats" from the super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) through next week.
While the Missouri Democrat has three primary challengers as she campaigns for a third term in the 1st Congressional District, her top opponent in the August 6 primary is St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell, who is backed by AIPAC and Republican billionaires.
"UDP, AIPAC, and their extensive network of far-right billionaires, anti-abortion extremists, and GOP megadonors have been promising to spend millions in their effort to defeat me ever since they first bribed my opponent to enter this race," Bush said in a statement to Politico. "Unfortunately for them, organized people beats organized money, and our community is ready to show that St. Louis is not for sale."
Bush delivered a similar message on social media, responding to Rubashkin's post.
Supporters of Bush also took to social media to denounce UDP's spending effort in Missouri.
"AIPAC, the Republican-bankrolled group that is investing $100 million in unseating progressives in their own primaries, is turning its focus to Cori Bush," said the Working Families Party (WFP). "Why? Because she uses her power to fight for the needs of the people—not Republican billionaires."
"We don't have the hundreds of millions AIPAC does, but we do have the people," added WFP, which has endorsed the "Squad" member. "And we know the power of the people is greater than the people in power."
Jewish Voice for Peace Action declared: "Back off, AIPAC. The people are not going to let you come for Cori Bush. Cori is fighting for justice and freedom for all of us—from St. Louis to Gaza. We won't allow far-right GOP megadonors to pit our communities against one another."
Justice Democrats also took aim at AIPAC and its affiliate, warning that "their GOP billionaires will spend millions against a former nurse and Missouri's greatest abortion rights champion—all to try and buy a seat in Congress at the expense of everyday people in St. Louis."
"If you support a champion for cease-fire, abortion rights, and our democracy against pro-genocide, pro-insurrection, anti-abortion GOP megadonors, support Cori Bush's campaign," said the progressive PAC, which also sent a fundraising email for Bush that points to the new UDP ad buys.
Another top target of UDP this cycle is Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), who will face AIPAC-endorsed Westchester County Executive George Latimer in their state's 16th Congressional District on June 25.
After UDP booked $1.9 million in television ads earlier this month, Bowman said that "this new ad spending in New York shows once and for all that my opponent, George Latimer, is bankrolled by a right-wing super PAC that has received over $40 million from Republican megadonors who want to defend Republican insurrectionists, overturn voting rights, and ban abortion nationwide."
Bowman said on social media Tuesday that "AIPAC has already spent $6 million against us!"
Noting Bowman's new video, Westchester-Putnam WFP said that "AIPAC doesn't care about our community needs. They want to defeat any congressperson that criticizes Israel. Meanwhile Israel and Hamas violate international war by killing innocent civilians."
Israel's military on Tuesday killed at least 21 Palestinians at a refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip—just two days after an Israeli airstrike and resulting fire in a Rafah "safe zone" killed 45 people and wounded hundreds more.
The new deaths and injuries in Gaza—on top of more than 36,000 Palestinians killed and 81,000 wounded since October—sparked fresh calls from progressive U.S. lawmakers for Congress and Democratic President Joe Biden to finally cut off weapons and diplomatic support to Israel.
"How many children have to die? We're past the red line," Bowman said Tuesday, referencing Biden's previous remarks. "It's time to stop sending military aid to Israel. Not one more dime. We need a permanent cease-fire now, a path to peace, and Palestinian self-determination. That is how we protect the lives of Israelis and Palestinians."
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Progressives Brought Down Under Crush of AIPAC-Affiliated Money in Oregon Primaries
"This race showed so clearly why we need to have real campaign finance reform," said Susheela Jayapal, who lost after being outspent 30-to-1.
May 22, 2024
Progressives lost two Democratic primary races in Oregon on Tuesday following heavy spending by outside groups, including at least one tied to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which has spent heavily to oppose left-wing and pro-Palestinian candidates in races across the U.S. in recent months.
In Oregon's 3rd Congressional District, Maxine Dexter defeated Susheela Jayapal, taking 51.1% of the vote to just 28.6% for Jayapal as of Wednesday morning. Jayapal—the elder sister of Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus and has been critical of Israel—was seen as the most progressive candidate in the race and a potential new member of her sister's caucus. The Portland-area seat is solidly blue and Dexter is expected to win easily in the general election.
Dexter, a member of the state House, received an enormous boost from outside groups, which spent roughly $7 million in supporting her and opposing Jayapal. Pro-Israeli donors funneled $2.2 million through 314 Action Fund, a political action committee (PAC) that served as a vehicle for AIPAC donors, according to The Intercept. Another PAC attacking Jayapal called Voters for Responsive Government, newly formed for this race, has not yet had to release its donor list. Ultimately, Dexter's supporters outspent Jayapal's 30-to-1, HuffPost reported.
"This race showed so clearly why we need to have real campaign finance reform that allows for public financing," Susheela Jayapal wrote on social media Wednesday, criticizing the role of outside super PACs, which she said timed their contributions so they wouldn't have to reveal their donors until after the primary.
The outside group spending gap was, by my calculation, 30 to 1 in favor of Dexter.
And we still don't know who was funding "Voters for Responsive Government," the mysterious super PAC that sprang up to attack Jayapal. pic.twitter.com/Vac6YVTwjL
— Daniel Marans (@danielmarans) May 22, 2024
AIPAC didn't formally endorse Dexter during the primary race but did congratulate her on Tuesday night in a social media post.
AIPAC congratulates @doctormaxine on her Democratic primary win!
AIPAC members were proud to support Maxine Dexter in her race against an anti-Israel opponent endorsed by @BernieSanders, @AOC, and @jstreetdotorg.
Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics! https://t.co/74h3TFdusd
— AIPAC (@AIPAC) May 22, 2024
Another state representative, Janelle Bynum, won the Democratic primary in Oregon's 5th Congressional District with 68.9% of the vote, defeating progressive candidate Jamie McLeod-Skinner in a race in which outside spending was also somewhat lopsided, according to OpenSecrets data. 314 Action Fund poured nearly $500,000 into the race. The Intercept's Ryan Grim argued that the PAC's involvement in this race revealed the hollowness of its claim to support scientists and pro-science candidates—Bynum is a McDonald's franchise owner.
Unlike Oregon's 3rd District, its 5th District will likely have a competitive race in November, with Bynum seeking to unseat incumbent Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.), who narrowly defeated McLeod-Skinner in 2022. National Democrats have their eyes on the seat, which is seen as highly winnable, with President Joe Biden having won the district handily in 2020. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee supported Bynum with more than $1 million in the primary, according to CNN.
As elsewhere, pro-Israel groups funded ads in Oregon that had nothing to do with Israel or Palestine. This a strategic decision by AIPAC and its super PAC, United Democracy Project (UDP), thanks to growing support for the Palestinian cause, according to Politico.
AIPAC chooses races carefully, sometimes focusing on preventing progressives such as Susheela Jayapal from entering office rather than on dislodging existing members. After spending millions against Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) in 2022, UDP stayed out of this year's primary, in which the "Squad" member faced a pro-Israeli Democrat. Lee won the primary handily last month, even though her opponent was backed by a billionaire megadonor.
Yet UDP does take on Squad members when it sees opportunity: It's pouring big resources into primary challenges to Reps. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) and Cori Bush (D-Mo.). Bowman faces a pro-Israel Democrat on June 25, Bush on August 6.
"Jamaal Bowman has his own agenda and refuses to compromise—even with President Biden," a UDP attack ad says, criticizing him for not supporting legislation backed by most congressional Democrats.
Commentators have pointed out that the resources that progressive groups must use to defend the seats of Bowman and Bush limits their ability to help newcomers such as Susheela Jayapal.
"In a different cycle, Justice Democrats and the Working Families Party might have been able to help Susheela Jayapal, but they have their hands full—and their wallets committed—as they seek to defend Reps. Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush," Daniel Marans, a politics reporter at HuffPost, wrote on social media Wednesday.
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'Jews for Jamaal' and Squad Push Back Against AIPAC Attack on Bowman
"It's our duty to fight back," said Rep. Summer Lee, arguing that no super PAC "should be able to drop millions to usurp the conversation for their agenda."
May 16, 2024
As the leading U.S. pro-Israel lobby's political action committee unleashes a nearly $2 million ad blitz targeting Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Jewish allies of the New York Democrat—who is an outspoken critic of what he and many experts call Israel's genocide in Gaza—on Thursday joined progressive lawmakers in condemning right-wing efforts to defeat pro-Palestine incumbents.
United Democracy Project (UDP), the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) super PAC, has booked $1.9 million in television ads to influence the outcome of the Democratic primary in New York's 16th Congressional District, according to Wednesday reporting by Sludge's David Moore.
"This new ad spending in New York shows once and for all that my opponent, George Latimer, is bankrolled by a right-wing super PAC that has received over $40 million from Republican megadonors who want to defend Republican insurrectionists, overturn voting rights, and ban abortion nationwide," Bowman said in a statement.
"Democrats across New York deserve better, and will reject these attempts to buy our elections and undermine our democracy," he added.
Jews for Jamaal, a pro-Bowman coalition spearheaded by the group Jews for Racial & Economic Justice Action, said in a statement that "we recognize this media blitz for what it is: a desperate move by powerful interests to silence the district's first Black representative in history."
"UDP is overwhelmingly spending its millions in Democratic primaries, mostly against Black and brown Democratic incumbents who speak out against war and for the human rights of Palestinians," the coalition continued. "This massive amount of spending distorts the political landscape, drowning out the needs and voices of everyday constituents with the interests of a few wealthy donors."
"It undermines the very foundation of our democracy, which must be built on the principles of transparency, accountability, and genuine representation," Jews for Jamaal added.
As more and more Democrats speak out against Israel's assault on Gaza—which according to Palestinian health officials has killed, maimed, or left missing more than 125,000 people—and violent repression by Israeli soldiers and settlers in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, AIPAC has lashed out at even the mildest criticism of Israeli government policies and practices, which many experts around the world call genocidal.
Last November, Slate's Alex Sammon reported that UDP was set to spend approximately $100 million in a bid to unseat both pro-Palestine congressional progressives and more moderate Democratic candidates who the powerful lobby group believes don't sufficiently support Israel. Sammon said that Bowman, along with fellow "Squad" members Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), and Summer Lee (D-Pa.) are among UDP's top targets.
Some of those lawmakers also rallied to Bowman's defense on Thursday.
"It's our duty to fight back," Lee said on social media. "As somebody who knows these folks intimately, I can speak to the damage UDP causes not just to the candidates they target and smear, but to the communities attached to us and democracy itself."
The congresswoman—who won her primary last month—continued:
Their campaign against me in 2022 was steeped in dog whistles and disinformation. Their most shameful million-dollar attack against me was just unsubtly implying I was a [former U.S. President Donald] Trump supporter... in mailers where my skin was oddly shadowed or darker. For three weeks, they plastered the airwaves and mailboxes in wall-to-wall attacks that overwhelmed our midsized media market. Cable and broadcast, digital and streaming... even children's programming on YouTube was targeted.
Omar asserted on social media that "a people-powered movement will always be stronger than special interest groups."
"We got your back, Jamaal Bowman," she added.
Bush said that Latimer "is being used as a Trojan Horse for far-right billionaires and anti-abortion extremists."
"But from the Bronx to St. Louis, we won't let them win," she vowed.
Bowman, in turn, posted in support of Bush, whom he pledged to defend against "Republican billionaires... coming for her."
Last month, another coalition—the youth-led Protect Our Power campaign—was launched in support of progressive congressional incumbents under attack by AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups.
"The only thing that beats organized money is organized people," the young organizers said at the time. "Fortunately, that's what we know how to do best."
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Summer Lee Calls Out Primary Opponent for Taking Right-Wing Money
"Her entire campaign is backed by Republicans, yet she says that I'm not a good enough Democrat," Lee said of Bhavini Patel during a debate Thursday night.
Apr 05, 2024
In a debate on Thursday night, "Squad" member and progressive Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee called out her Democratic primary opponent Bhavini Patel for taking money from Republican megadonors, including Jeffrey Yass.
Her remarks came the day after news broke that Yass had given more money to a super PAC supporting Patel Patel, after initially donating to the group in 2022 in support of conservative Democratic Rep. Jared Golden (Maine). Also on Thursday, 250 constituents from Pennsylvania's 12th District wrote to Patel urging her to disavow Yass and other Republican donors.
"Her entire campaign is backed by Republicans, yet she says that I'm not a good enough Democrat," Lee said on the debate stage.
"It feels like she is implying that there is enough room for Joe Manchin, but not a Black woman fighting for her own community," Lee continued.
"No candidate running in the Democratic primary should be primarily funded by Republican donors working to elect Trump."
During her remarks, Lee said Patel was "outwardly calling for people who are Republicans to vote for her."
"She is now backed by Jeffrey Yass, who is the richest man in Pennsylvania, who has spent all of his money eroding public education," Lee added. "He has eroded abortion rights, and right now he is on the shortlist to be Treasury secretary for Donald Trump."
News of the relationship between Yass and Patel first emerged last month, when the so-called Moderate PAC ran an ad backing the Edgewood, Pennsylvania, councilmember. Moderate PAC's only donor for all of 2022 was Susquehanna International Group, a trading firm that Yass co-founded.
Then, on Wednesday, Moderate PAC's president Ty Strong told Politico that Yass had donated additional funds in recent weeks after Strong spoke to him about the primary campaign against Lee.
"I went to Jeff Yass and made a proposal," Strong told Politico. "He knew nothing about Summer… He's a really wealthy guy, so he made a donation in line with his wealth. But there's other Pittsburgh people that are now seeing this and doing the same thing. And so it's not Jeff Yass, it's me and Pittsburgh who realized that this far-left member shouldn't be representing a D-plus-eight district."
Yet several district members are concerned that Yass is not the only Republican seeking to influence a Democratic primary. In their letter, the 250 constituents noted that Patel's only Federal Election Commission filing to date shows that more than 60% of her primary donors had also given over $100 million to MAGA Republicans, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), Nikki Haley, and election deniers like Republican Reps. Scott Perry and Mike Kelly, both of Pennsylvania.
"Your Republican donors are part of the plan to pass a national abortion ban; attack our LGBTQ+ siblings; bankroll Big Pharma and the NRA; tear away our access to healthcare, workers' rights, voting rights; and ultimately end democracy in America," the letter reads. "They are actively undermining our democracy, promoting discrimination and hate, and endangering the lives and well-being of our communities."
The District 12 voters also pointed to reporting by The Intercept that Patel told potential donors at a fundraiser that her campaign would encourage Republicans and independents to register as Democrats to vote against Lee.
The constituents said they were writing to Patel to "express grave concern" about appeals to Republican donors and voters.
"This is a craven and undemocratic ploy to unseat Congresswoman Summer Lee," they said. "The involvement of Republican donors in your campaign is deceitful and deeply hypocritical. It undermines any hope of earning the trust of Democratic voters and the communities you claim to be running to serve. Accepting financial support from those who actively work against our values is unacceptable and incompatible with the responsibilities of a Democratic representative. We deserve better."
Lee also faces the threat of right-wing money being laundered through the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which has promised to spend $100 million to unseat Lee and other Squad members. Lee has been outspoken against Israel's genocide in Gaza and co-sponsored legislation calling for a cease-fire as early as mid-October. However, AIPAC also spent more than $2 million to unseat Lee in the 2022 election through its United Democracy Project (UDP) super PAC.
In response to Lee's debate performance, former Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner applauded her for "exposing the AIPAC grift for what it is: GOP-funded candidates who encourage Republicans to vote in blue seat primaries against progressives who dare to stand up for their communities."
While Yass had donated more money than anyone else to outside spending groups during the 2024 U.S. campaign season—shelling out more than $46 million to right-leaning groups—he has not given money to either AIPAC or UDP, Haaretz reported in March.
However, the 250 District 12 constituents said that Patel had sought the endorsement of UDP.
"No candidate running in the Democratic primary should be primarily funded by Republican donors working to elect Trump," the group wrote.
The constituents called on Patel to "take immediate and transparent action, pledging not to encourage Republicans and independents to re-register in our primaries and publicly demand that a Republican-funded Super PAC like AIPAC not spend money in our Democratic primary."
"The integrity of our democratic process and the voters' trust in PA-12 are at stake," they concluded.
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Groups Form 'Reject AIPAC' Coalition to Fight Israel Lobby's Attacks on Progressives
"For too long, AIPAC and its Republican megadonors have demanded our elected leaders unconditionally support the Israeli military and government—or else," said coalition member Jewish Voice for Peace Action. "Enough."
Mar 11, 2024
U.S. progressive groups "working together to take on the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and its affiliated dark money super PACs" on Monday announced the launch of the Reject AIPAC coalition, which is urging candidates for federal office to not accept endorsements or contributions from the nation's most prominent Zionist lobby.
Reject AIPAC says it "will organize Democratic voters and elected officials to reject the destructive influence of the Republican megadonor-backed AIPAC on the Democratic primary process and our government's policy towards Palestine and Israel."
"We have watched as AIPAC has done everything it can to silence growing dissent in Congress against [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's assault on Gaza—which has killed over 31,000 Palestinians—even as Democratic voters overwhelmingly support a cease-fire and oppose sending more blank checks to the Israeli military," the coalition said in a statement.
"Now, AIPAC's Republican donor-funded super PAC is threatening to spend $100 million targeting the handful of Black and brown members of Congress who have led the calls for a cease-fire and the equal protection of Palestinian and Israeli lives," the groups continued.
Reject AIPAC members include Justice Democrats, Jewish Voice for Peace Action, IfNotNow, Working Families Party, Sunrise Movement, MPower Change Action Fund, Democratic Socialists of America, Our Revolution, Peace Action, National Iranian American Council, and Gen-Z for Change.
"For too long, AIPAC and its Republican megadonors have demanded our elected leaders unconditionally support the Israeli military and government—or else," Jewish Voice for Peace said on social media, adding, "Enough."
The coalition's launch comes as AIPAC taps a $100 million war chest from its United Democracy Project super PAC in a bid to defeat not only pro-Palestine congressional candidates but also anyone deemed insufficiently supportive of Israel as it wages a genocidal war on Gaza while perpetrating apartheid, occupation, settler colonization, and ethnic cleansing across the Palestinian territories.
"Already in this election year, pro-Israel candidates have been immensely successful in primaries, and we were proud to help elect Democrats and Republicans who stand with the Jewish state," AIPAC spokesperson Marshall Wittmann told The 19th on Monday.
"On Super Tuesday alone, 79 candidates endorsed by AIPAC won their primaries," he added. "We are continuing to evaluate races that involve detractors of the U.S.-Israel relationship."
Progressive lawmakers including Reps. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), who authored a cease-fire resolution co-sponsored by 18 House Democrats, and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)—the only Palestinian American member of Congress—have found themselves in AIPAC's crosshairs. So have more moderate Democrats who AIPAC believes don't show enough support for Israel. In 2022 the group spent $4 million toward a successful effort to unseat two-term Michigan Congressman Andy Levin, a self-described Zionist and former president of his synagogue.
Reject AIPAC is emphasizing the lobby's right-wing backers, asserting that "we cannot let a dark money super PAC, especially one that has endorsed 109 insurrectionist election deniers, 200+ anti-abortion extremists, and is funded by [former President] Donald Trump and Nikki Haley's megadonors, undermine our democracy."
"Now is the time for the whole of the Democratic Party to Reject AIPAC once and for all," the group added. "The overwhelming influence of corporate super PACs on our democracy and elections has expanded the gap between voters and their elected leaders into a canyon that has been exploited by every special interest and corporate lobby. Rejecting AIPAC is a crucial step in putting voters back at the center of our democracy."
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AIPAC's Dark Money Arm Unleashes $100 Million Blitz on Progressives
"AIPAC and their Republican mega-donors are targeting Black and brown Democratic incumbents with the same right-wing playbook across the country," warned Rep. Cori Bush.
Mar 04, 2024
Amidst global outcry over the ongoing assault on Gaza and the related humanitarian crisis it has wrought, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's super PAC is set to spend a staggering $100 million against both pro-Palestine congressional progressives and more moderate Democratic candidates who the powerful lobby group believes don't sufficiently support Israel.
With increasing numbers of Democrats speaking out against the far-right government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over its genocide in Gaza and violent repression in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, AIPAC has shown zero tolerance for even the mildest criticism of Israeli government policies and practices.
Dave Min, a Democratic California state senator running for Rep. Katie Porter's (D-Calif.) House seat, has said very little publicly about Israel since the October 7 attacks, which he strongly condemned. He does not support a Gaza cease-fire. Min did, however, make the mistake of criticizing Netanyahu's leadership and Israeli settlement expansion during private talks with AIPAC leaders and members.
United Democracy Project, AIPAC's dark money group, retaliated by firing a broadside of television and mail ads hammering Min over his May 2023 drunk driving arrest as part of a $4.5 million blitz against him. Feeling the heat, Min turned to someone painfully familiar with AIPAC's wrath—former Michigan Congressman Andy Levin, a two-term Democratic incumbent, former synagogue president, and self-described Zionist who lost his seat following a $4 million AIPAC barrage during the 2022 Democratic primaries. The group targeted Levin over his opposition to Israel's occupation.
The former congressman told Politico this week that "most" candidates can't survive AIPAC's deep-pocketed attacks: "I'm afraid that they can be quite successful in wiping them out."
Progressives have hit back by spotlighting AIPAC's Republican benefactors, and the group's endorsement of over 100 GOP lawmakers who voted to subvert the 2020 presidential election in service of former President Donald Trump's "Big Lie" that Democrats rigged the contest.
"AIPAC and their Republican mega-donors are targeting Black and brown Democratic incumbents with the same right-wing playbook across the country," said Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.), an outspoken critic of Israel's war on Gaza and the author of an October cease-fire resolution subsequently co-sponsored by 18 House Democrats.
Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.) recently called AIPAC "basically a wholly owned subsidiary of the GOP" and a "front group for conservative policy."
Referring to the National Rifle Association, the right-wing lobby group that fronts for the U.S. gun industry, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) last month slammed AIPAC as "the NRA of foreign policy."
Usamah Andrabi, communications director for Justice Democrats, told Politico that "a handful of Republican billionaire mega-donors are using AIPAC to spend in Democratic primaries against Black and brown progressives, funding primary campaigns against the most popular and progressive members, so this should be a scandal."
"The whole of the Democratic Party should be united in opposition to this," he added.
But it isn't, and part of the reason why is that many Democrats are beneficiaries of AIPAC's largesse. It wasn't a Republican who unseated Levin, but rather Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens—who has been staunchly supportive of Israel even as its military forces have killed and maimed more than 100,000 Palestinians, forcibly displaced around 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million people, and fueled growing famine by tightening an already crippling economic stranglehold on the besieged enclave.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), another strong pro-Israel voice, counted AIPAC as his top donor during the last election cycle. AIPAC has also been a leading contributor to lawmakers including Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), who not only vocally support Israel, but also attack colleagues like Bush, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.)—the only Palestinian American in Congress—for their pro-Palestinian views.
Democratic Majority for Israel, an AIPAC-connected group, is attacking progressives while backing nine House Democratic candidates, including Joana Weiss, who is running a nasty campaign against Min in California. But DMFI's support pales in comparison to the $4.5 million that AIPAC's United Democracy Project has spent in a bid to defeat Min.
"Despite state Sen. Min's support of Israel, and a broad coalition of endorsements from the Jewish community, a number of Republican donors at AIPAC are upset that he has called for Bibi Netanyahu to be held accountable for the security failures on October 7 and Netanyahu's failure of leadership during this crisis," Min campaign manager Dan Driscoll said in a statement. "Sen. Min does not believe in the annexation of West Bank settlements, he had hoped that a constructive dialogue could be had. It appears they disagreed."
Maurice Mitchell, political director for the Working Families Party, acknowledged to Politico that progressives are hard-pressed to match AIPAC's financial firepower.
"We can never go dollar for dollar, but our goal is to be competitive and we're going to do that," he said.
Progressives point to Democratic Pennsylvania Congresswoman Summer Lee—who in 2022 defeated AIPAC-backed Democrat Steve Irwin—as a sign of hope.
"A Republican-funded Super PAC threatened to spend $100 million against us—and our grassroots people-powered movement has responded loud and clear," Lee said earlier this year.
"I am so proud of the multigenerational, multiracial movement we have built in Western Pennsylvania to protect and expand our democracy—it is our greatest defense against the dark money super PACs and corporate lobbies who seek to undermine it," she added. "They have Donald Trump and Nikki Haley's donors, we have the overwhelming power of the people."
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