AIPAC

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee is the most feared single-issue lobby in American politics, having spent over $100 million on the 2024 elections — more than any other single-issue organization. AIPAC's power lies not just in its spending but in its demonstrated willingness to spend unlimited amounts to destroy the political careers of anyone who criticizes Israeli government policy. In 2024, AIPAC's spending apparatus successfully ousted two sitting members of Congress — Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri — in Democratic primaries, sending an unmistakable message to every other politician: criticize Israel and we will end your career. AIPAC's political spending operates through multiple channels. The AIPAC PAC makes direct contributions to candidates, bundling donations from its donor network. United Democracy Project, AIPAC's super PAC, spent $100 million in 2024 — more on House primaries than any outside group in American history. In the 2026 Illinois primaries, AIPAC used secretive "pop-up PACs" — entities created shortly before elections, funded by untraceable money, that aired attack ads and dissolved afterward. This tactic allows AIPAC to spend without its name appearing on advertisements, making it difficult for voters to know who is trying to influence their elections. The most remarkable feature of AIPAC's advertising strategy is what it doesn't mention: Israel. In the campaigns against Bowman and Bush, AIPAC's ads attacked the candidates on issues like Social Security, crime, and local concerns — never mentioning Israel or Middle East policy. This strategy allows AIPAC to frame its spending as issue advocacy rather than foreign policy lobbying, obscuring the actual motivation behind multi-million-dollar primary interventions. Voters in the Bowman and Bush races who saw these ads had no way of knowing that the real reason millions were being spent was to punish criticism of Israel. AIPAC maintains its power through a bipartisan strategy. It donates to both Democrats and Republicans, though its heaviest spending is in Democratic primaries where progressive candidates challenge unconditional U.S. support for Israel. The $3.8 billion in annual U.S. military aid to Israel — the largest foreign aid package to any country — is never seriously debated in Congress, in part because AIPAC's spending creates a powerful deterrent against questioning it. Anti-BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) legislation has been passed in over 35 states, often with bipartisan support facilitated by AIPAC's state-level operations. AIPAC's influence has grown despite — or perhaps because of — growing controversy. The Gaza war that began in October 2023 intensified criticism of AIPAC from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, with some members openly calling it a tool of a foreign government. Senator Bernie Sanders has criticized AIPAC's spending in Democratic primaries, and several progressive organizations have made opposing AIPAC a central part of their platform. Yet AIPAC's fundraising has only increased, suggesting that the controversy is actually motivating its donor base. The organization has 400 employees and revenue of approximately $200 million, making it one of the largest advocacy organizations in Washington.