AIPAC Campaign Spending Sees Mixed Results in US Midterm Elections

The pro-Israel lobbying organization American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and its affiliated political action committees spent approximately $84 million during the US midterm elections on November 3. However, figures compiled by the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft show that nearly two-thirds of those funds—around $55 million—went to candidates who lost their races.

In Michigan's Senate contest, AIPAC and linked groups spent $30 million supporting Democrat Haley Stevens in a primary bid, before allocating another $9 million to Republican candidate Mike Rogers, who lost to Democrat Abdul El-Sayed. In Maine, groups tied to AIPAC provided over $4.8 million to Republican Senator Susan Collins in her unsuccessful campaign against Democrat Troy Jackson. Meanwhile, in California, the United Democracy Project spent more than $6 million backing Melissa Hernandez, who lost to Aisha Wahab, and in Texas, Democrat James Talarico won a Senate seat after publicly declining AIPAC contributions.

Analysts cited shifting political dynamics to explain the results. Trita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, stated that a growing number of political candidates now view funding from AIPAC as a liability. Rina Shah, a former Republican congressional aide, pointed to increased questioning of foreign entanglements among younger conservative voters and public concern regarding Gaza. AIPAC announced in October that it would stop making direct candidate endorsements and contributions after this cycle, routing future spending through affiliated political action committees.

Despite losing major financial bets, AIPAC announced that 234 supported candidates across both parties won their contests. Pro-Israel groups backed candidates in 32 of 35 Senate races, with 21 of the 26 heavily funded candidates winning on November 3. The group maintained influence in Democratic strongholds, supporting successful House candidates such as Wesley Bell in Missouri, George Latimer in New York, and Sarah Elfreth in Maryland. In a social media post, AIPAC pledged to expand its political activism in future cycles, pointing to victory for Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries.

The midterm election cycle also saw expanded activity from other advocacy organizations. J Street, a self-described pro-peace Jewish American group, spent over $13 million backing more than 200 candidates, often in direct opposition to AIPAC-backed contenders. Following the election, J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami released an official statement: In an election with so much at stake for American democracy, we are proud to have supported a record number of candidates who share our commitment to Israel’s future, democracy and a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Polling commissioned by J Street showed 72 percent of Jewish American voters backed Democratic candidates.

Written by Sandy van Dongen sandy.vandongen@alpineweekly.com