WASHINGTON, D.C. – A super PAC aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has launched the first major challenge to the U.S. midterm elections.
But this time, the pro-Israel lobby is targeting not a progressive candidate pushing for a reset of U.S.-Israel policy, but a so-called “moderate” Democrat who callously questioned Washington’s unconditional military aid during the genocidal war in Gaza.
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The $2.2 million disbursement by the United Democracy Project (UDP) targeting former U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski ahead of Thursday’s Democratic primary in New Jersey comes as polls consistently show Democratic voters’ growing disillusionment with America’s unwavering support for Israel.
Amid changing views, critics see the spending strategy as a broader message to candidates as they prepare for party primaries in the months leading up to the 2026 midterm elections that will determine the composition of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
“This clearly shows that they are very concerned about the shift in perspective, especially among Democrats, on funding for Israel, and that they are very keen to continue to elect Democrats who are less connected to the broader Democratic electorate,” former New Jersey congressman Sadaf Jaffer, who himself has criticized Malinowski for refusing to take a hard line on Israel in the past, told Al Jazeera.
Candidates in the 11 district primaries are running to represent largely suburban districts in central New Jersey that are considered to be increasingly Democratic. A special election is scheduled for April 16th.
But the UDP’s strategy appears to be focused on Malinowski, and while neither AIPAC nor its super PAC explicitly endorses former New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Tehesha Way, she has the backing of another pro-Israel lobbying group, Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI).
“Maybe so. [AIPAC’s] “This can be seen as a way to scare away people on the trail who are starting to voice concerns about what’s going on and the money that’s going to Israel,” Jaffer said.
“It seems very excessive… but it may be an investment in trying to intimidate others who are watching,” she said.
familiar strategy
Some of the strategies have become familiar. The UDP spent about $35 million on party primaries in the 2024 U.S. election, with the main purpose of the acquisition being to defeat Democratic candidates who called for cutting aid to Israel.
That includes a total of $24 million to progressive congressmen Jamal Bowman and Cori Bush, who lost out to opponents running from the right.
Like the messages targeted at these candidates, the ad campaign against Mr. Malinowski does not specifically mention Israel. Instead, it has focused on more domestic issues, such as Malinowski’s past stock trades and his 2019 vote supporting the Department of Homeland Security’s annual funding bill.
The criticism comes as support for U.S. immigration and ICE, a subsidiary of DHS, has waned among Democratic voters amid President Donald Trump’s push for mass deportations.
Osama Andrabi, communications director for Justice Democrats, a group that supports progressive candidates that AIPAC regularly targets, called this approach particularly disingenuous, noting that AIPAC previously supported Malinowski despite the DHS funding vote.
Malinowski has received more than $378,000 from pro-Israel groups, including groups affiliated with AIPAC, during his three previous congressional bids.
“As always, what’s interesting to look at again is that you don’t see a single TV ad that actually talks about their ‘single issue,’ which is Israel,” he told Al Jazeera.
“Tom Malinowski is not a champion of progressive values or the Palestinian people, but he’s not going to ask, ‘How high?’ When they say ‘jump,'” Andrabi told Al Jazeera. “And that’s not enough for AIPAC. They really want unconditional support for their policies.”
Mr. Malinowski previously served as the Washington director of Human Rights Watch, and during his tenure, he worked to prevent U.S. aid from being used by Israel to violate the rights of Palestinians.
But as a lawmaker from 2019 to 2023, Malinowski took a decidedly different path in Congress, including petitioning against conditionality on U.S. aid to Israel.
Malinowski, who also served as assistant secretary of state for democracy, human rights and labor under former President Barack Obama, further incensed pro-Palestinian advocates by suggesting that using the words “genocide” and “apartheid” to describe Israel’s approach to Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank fueled anti-Semitic sentiment in the United States.
Nevertheless, candidates were vocal critics of AIPAC’s approach ahead of Thursday’s vote, accusing the influence of “dark money” on the campaign.
“I committed a sin in their hearts,” Malinowski told a small group of supporters in mid-January, the New Jersey Globe news site reported.
“I did not want to say that I would unconditionally, without question, blindly support any request for assistance that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu might make. That position puts me in the mainstream not only of all Americans but also of the Jewish community and pro-Israel community in this country,” he said.
“Sour taste”
The UDP’s spending has also been condemned by other pro-Israel lobby groups, including J Street, which has been harshly critical of providing a “blank check” to the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“It weakens bipartisan support, alienates the next generation of Jews and non-Jews alike, and ties the fate of Israel to the most corrosive elements of American politics,” Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the group that backs Malinowski, said in a January post on Substack.
AIPAC and UDP did not respond to Al Jazeera’s requests for comment on the purpose of the spending initiative.
But Beth Miller, political director of Jewish Voices for Peace Action, which advocates for Palestinian justice through U.S. policy, said the attack on Malinowski is consistent with AIPAC’s growing support for the Republican Party, which remains staunchly pro-Israel. She pointed to the UDP’s history of relying on donations from wealthy conservatives to influence Democratic primaries.
Former lawmaker Jaffer pointed out that the super PAC did not target Analilia Mejia, a progressive whose support includes Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
Some analysts have suggested that AIPAC could take a win-win approach by targeting Malinowski, leading to the success of either a candidate like Wei, who heads the New Jersey Israel Committee and is supported by many right-wing Israeli news organizations, or a candidate like Mejia, who is seen as more vulnerable to Republicans in the general election.
Miller said the spending “should demonstrate to all the other candidates that there is no centrist or centrist lane that will protect them from AIPAC spending attacks.”
“Democratic candidates watching the New Jersey special election should learn that the politically and morally correct thing to do is to fully embrace Palestinian rights and demand an end to Israeli apartheid and US complicity in genocide,” she told Al Jazeera.
Meanwhile, Andrabi and former Rep. Jaffer saw the approach as having the potential to backfire, especially as AIPAC has become an increasingly toxic brand for some segments of the Democratic Party.
“This is definitely the most I’ve ever heard people who don’t particularly care about Israel/Palestine talk about AIPAC,” Jaffer told Al Jazeera, adding that outside spending on the race has left some New Jersey residents with “bitter feelings.”
Andrabi added: “It’s interesting to see that the world’s moderates and corporate Democrats are becoming more willing to comment.” [AIPAC] Now one of their own is about to be eaten alive by this expenditure. ”
This comes after AIPAC and UDP amassed a $100 million war chest for 2026.
“what [AIPAC] “What it’s really doing is expanding the base of people who don’t like AIPAC and who are going to vote against candidates to get help from AIPAC,” he said.
