AIPAC defeats Jamaal Bowman. Who will they target next?

 

Yesterday, after spending an unprecedented $15 million on saturation-level attack ads, AIPAC successfully defeated Rep. Jamaal Bowman, one of the few progressive Democrats who has been willing to openly criticize the policies of Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel’s war on Gaza. The message from AIPAC to other Democrats critical of Israel: We’re just getting started. AIPAC is already eyeing additional targets, spending heavily against Missouri Rep. and fellow Squad member Cori Bush. AIPAC was the biggest outside spender in Democratic primaries last cycle and announced last fall that it would spend upwards of $100 million — much of it from Republican donors — targeting progressive Democrats this cycle. It is absolutely vital that the American people understand the influence of money in politics — especially in sustaining U.S. support for the ongoing slaughter of Palestinians by the Netanyahu-led Israeli government. ============== AIPAC's defeat of Bowman isn't the first time we’ve seen right-wing money funneled through AIPAC to attack leading progressive members of Congress. In 2022, AIPAC spent over $8 million through its super PAC to successfully defeat Rep. Andy Levin, one of the most progressive Jewish Democrats in Congress. Then, last fall, AIPAC signaled that it planned to spend $100 million targeting progressive Democrats, including Reps. Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, Summer Lee, and Cori Bush, in addition to Bowman. Typically AIPAC’s attack ads make no mention of Israel at all. And suffice it to say, there is no wealthy pro-Palestinian group out there able to counterbalance AIPAC’s funding with anything remotely similar. Let's be clear: The effect of this spending goes far beyond these districts, as every Democrat knows that they will face similar attacks in the future if they dare challenge Netanyahu or call for limits on U.S. military aid to Israel. But most major news outlets will never cover AIPAC the way they cover other big-money special interest groups. The Intercept will, and it’s your donations that provide the funding that powers our reporting and keeps us fully independent. STAND WITH THE INTERCEPT → Thank you, The Intercept team The Intercept is a recognized 501(c)(3) charitable organization. The Intercept’s mailing address is: P.O. Box 9201 New York, NY 10008 The Intercept is an award-winning nonprofit news organization dedicated to holding the powerful accountable through fearless, adversarial journalism. Our in-depth investigations and unflinching analysis focus on surveillance, war, corruption, the environment, technology, criminal justice, the media and more. Email is an important way for us to communicate with The Intercept’s readers, but if you’d like to stop hearing from us, click here to unsubscribe from all communications. Protecting freedom of the press has never been more important. Contribute now to support our independent journalism.