US Pro-Israel Group Spends Big on 'Moderate' Democrat's Campaign Amid Shifts in Democratic Views.
A pro-Israel lobby group, linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), is taking its spending efforts directly at a supposed "moderate" US Democrat candidate who has wavered in Washington’s unconditional military support for Israel amid the brutal conflict on Gaza.
For the first time this election cycle, AIPAC-linked super PAC has focused their financial muscle on former US Representative Tom Malinowski. The $2.2 million is set to appear in advertisements targeting the New Jersey Democrat ahead of the state's Democratic primary on April 16.
This move is notable given that Democrats have seen a surge in opposition to unwavering support for Israel over the past year, as evidenced by growing dismay among voters about providing aid to Israel. This shift reflects broader shifts within the party on funding and policy towards Israel amid a change in the global landscape and increasing public criticism of Israel's actions against Palestinians.
Critics point out that this strategy is aimed at candidates perceived as being 'out of touch' with the majority of Democratic voters, who may express concerns about US aid to Israel. The spending also serves as an indication of AIPAC's intent to silence moderate Democrats or influence them into toeing a pro-Israel line in party primaries.
Pro-Israel lobby groups have traditionally focused on progressive candidates pushing for policy changes that could impact their agenda but this instance is different. Instead, they are targeting a candidate who has already expressed doubts about unconditional US support for Israel - former Representative Tom Malinowski.
The strategy bears resemblance to AIPAC's previous spending efforts in 2024 when the United Democracy Project (UDP) poured millions of dollars into Democratic primaries aimed at scuttling candidates who called for cutting off aid to Israel. This included significant spending on progressive congress members Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush, both of whom lost their races.
While AIPAC has not endorsed either candidate in this year's primary, the campaign targeting Malinowski focuses on domestic issues such as his past stock trades and a 2019 vote for an annual Department of Homeland Security funding bill. The messaging appears aimed at influencing public perception about the Democrat’s stance on various issues rather than directly addressing Israel.
Analysts believe that AIPAC may be trying to intimidate moderate Democrats into taking a hardline stance on Israel or failing to provide the support required by pro-Israel groups like themselves.
A pro-Israel lobby group, linked to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), is taking its spending efforts directly at a supposed "moderate" US Democrat candidate who has wavered in Washington’s unconditional military support for Israel amid the brutal conflict on Gaza.
For the first time this election cycle, AIPAC-linked super PAC has focused their financial muscle on former US Representative Tom Malinowski. The $2.2 million is set to appear in advertisements targeting the New Jersey Democrat ahead of the state's Democratic primary on April 16.
This move is notable given that Democrats have seen a surge in opposition to unwavering support for Israel over the past year, as evidenced by growing dismay among voters about providing aid to Israel. This shift reflects broader shifts within the party on funding and policy towards Israel amid a change in the global landscape and increasing public criticism of Israel's actions against Palestinians.
Critics point out that this strategy is aimed at candidates perceived as being 'out of touch' with the majority of Democratic voters, who may express concerns about US aid to Israel. The spending also serves as an indication of AIPAC's intent to silence moderate Democrats or influence them into toeing a pro-Israel line in party primaries.
Pro-Israel lobby groups have traditionally focused on progressive candidates pushing for policy changes that could impact their agenda but this instance is different. Instead, they are targeting a candidate who has already expressed doubts about unconditional US support for Israel - former Representative Tom Malinowski.
The strategy bears resemblance to AIPAC's previous spending efforts in 2024 when the United Democracy Project (UDP) poured millions of dollars into Democratic primaries aimed at scuttling candidates who called for cutting off aid to Israel. This included significant spending on progressive congress members Jamaal Bowman and Cori Bush, both of whom lost their races.
While AIPAC has not endorsed either candidate in this year's primary, the campaign targeting Malinowski focuses on domestic issues such as his past stock trades and a 2019 vote for an annual Department of Homeland Security funding bill. The messaging appears aimed at influencing public perception about the Democrat’s stance on various issues rather than directly addressing Israel.
Analysts believe that AIPAC may be trying to intimidate moderate Democrats into taking a hardline stance on Israel or failing to provide the support required by pro-Israel groups like themselves.
, pro-israel lobby group spending big on supposed "moderate" dem's campaign... its all about silencing them from being 'out of touch' with most voters 
aipac's been trying to strong-arm these mods into supporting israel more, but now they're just buying influence instead 
2.2 million for ad campaign targeting tom malinowski... pretty wild stuff 
check this out: 
super powerful and is using its big bucks 
. Like, they're going after a "moderate" dude Tom Malinowski who's already kinda waffling on the Israel thing 
. And they're not just talking about policy stuff either, but also trying to make his personal image look all 
broken and stuff. It's like they want to silence him or something 
. The thing is, most Dem voters are like 
"meh" when it comes to Israel, so AIPAC is just trying to fit the moderate candidate mold 
. Not cool 
, but what can you do? 
just saw this and it's wild - so now AIPAC is spending big on Tom Malinowski thinking he's some kinda "moderate" but really they're just trying to silence anyone who might say something unpopular about Israel 
, but this feels like something out of a bad movie where evil lobby groups try to control people 
. We need more transparency and accountability in our democratic system 
how much is our democracy for sale when groups like AIPAC can just throw millions at one campaign and expect a certain result? 
They're basically trying to silence these 'moderate' Democrats who are just trying to do what they think is right... 
but if they get enough pressure, maybe they'll toe the line? 
it's like they think money can buy loyalty or something 
. Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how this plays out in the primaries 
.
, which kinda shows how much they want someone in power who'll toe their line on this issue 
. i'm not sure if that's a smart move, but it's definitely a strategic one 
.
. They're targetin' a moderate Dem who's already showin' some flexibility on Israel, which is weird 'cause isn't that kinda the point of have different viewpoints in the first place? 
. It's not exactly subtle, either - they're spending big on ads that focus on domestic issues instead of directly talking about Israel 
. I'm all for pro-Israel supporters having a voice, but can't we have a more nuanced conversation about this?