AIPAC target Black Democrats — While the CBC stays silent

Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., speak outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 14, 2023. Photo: Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA via AP

July 26, 2024 Story by: Editor

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) , a leading pro-Israel lobbying group in the U.S., is actively recruiting candidates to challenge progressive members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) in next year's primaries.

The CBC has remained silent on AIPAC's attempts to challenge at least three of its members who are part of the progressive "Squad." According to reports, the only incumbents targeted by AIPAC in this election cycle are CBC members.

This silence highlights the divide among Democrats on Israel, with progressives increasingly advocating for Palestinian rights, and fundraising dynamics among caucus members. AIPAC has endorsed more than half of CBC members, and since February 2022, AIPAC-backed members of the CBC have received at least $3.6 million from AIPAC, according to Federal Election Commission records.

Alexandra Rojas , executive director of Justice Democrats, stated, “AIPAC and its Republican donors are intentionally targeting progressive members of the Congressional Black Caucus with right-wing primary challenges. The CBC — and every caucus in Congress — has the opportunity now to demonstrate their power and stand up for all incumbents against AIPAC’s role in funneling GOP dollars into Democratic primaries.”

AIPAC is reportedly challenging CBC members Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., due to their support for placing restrictions on U.S. aid to Israel . Sources reveal that AIPAC approached Pittsburgh-area Democrat Lindsay Powell to challenge Rep. Summer Lee, D-Penn., but she declined. Allegheny County Controller Corey O’Connor also declined an AIPAC invitation to challenge Lee.

Bhavini Patel, a council member in Edgewood, Pennsylvania, is planning to run against Lee. Jewish Insider reported it could not confirm if AIPAC had met with Patel.

AIPAC defended its record of supporting Black candidates for Congress. “AIPAC proudly endorsed more than half the Black Caucus last cycle and United Democracy Project... helped ensure pro-Israel African American Democrats in Ohio, North Carolina, and Maryland won their elections,” an AIPAC spokesperson stated.

Since 2019, five Black progressive officials have joined the CBC, creating tensions with the caucus's traditional structures of seniority and patronage. The CBC has occasionally opposed rising Black progressives, such as when it backed former Rep. Mike Capuano over Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., in 2018, and Rep. William Lacy Clay over progressive candidate Cori Bush in 2020.

Divisions on Israel policy further complicate these dynamics. Progressive CBC members like Omar, Bowman, Lee, Bush, and Pressley have criticized human rights abuses against Palestinians and voted against military aid to Israel, leading to AIPAC’s intensified efforts to challenge them.

CBC’s leaders have close ties with AIPAC but face contradictions due to the group’s emphasis on protecting incumbents. Since 2022, top AIPAC recipients in the CBC include Rep. Glenn Ivey, D-Md., with $756,000; House Democratic Caucus Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., with $485,300; Rep. Valerie Foushee, D-N.C., with $456,800; Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., with $459,900; and Rep. Shontel Brown, D-Ohio, with $349,600.

Jeffries has supported Democratic incumbents across the political spectrum , including progressives like Omar. “Leader Hakeem Jeffries intends to continue his practice of supporting the reelection of every single House Democratic incumbent,” said Jeffries’s spokesperson Christie Stephenson.

AIPAC’s strategy of using Republican money to challenge progressive CBC members reflects broader tensions within the Democratic Party. Camille Rivera, a partner at New Deal Strategies, expressed concern about this division: “The CBC should be sounding the alarm and should be concerned. We need to be very careful about letting power and influence change the overall goal of the caucus, which is to protect Black incumbents and expand representation.”

Summer Lee accused AIPAC of using Republican funds to attack her campaign with “baseless lies and racist tactics.” She emphasized that these attacks target Black incumbent champions for marginalized communities. “AIPAC funneled money from Republican billionaires to spend $5 million attacking me with baseless lies and racist tactics,” Lee said. Political ads falsely linked her to far-right figures like former President Donald Trump to dissuade Black voters from voting. She also criticized AIPAC’s support for “insurrectionist” Republicans and warned that such attacks fuel fascism, undermining the civil rights and lives of Black Americans, who form the Democratic Party's base. Source: The Intercept