Democrats Are Taking Money From Pro-Israel PAC That’s Backing Anti-Abortion Candidates
From left, Hakeem Jeffries, George Latimer, and Wesley Bell. Photo: Shutterstock/Campaign websites On Tuesday, Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) won her primary against Bhavini Patel, her Democratic challenger. Lee defeated Patel by over 20 points in what many expected would be a competitive primary—especially as Patel attempted to cater to Republicans in the district, even calling on them to change parties to vote for her. Both candidates campaigned in support of abortion, as well as gun safety, LGBTQ rights, and affordable education. However, Lee supported a ceasefire in Gaza and was vocally critical of Israel's war crimes against Palestinians where Patel campaigned on strong support for Israel. Lee's victory comes after she was heavily targeted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) in 2022. While AIPAC—the foremost pro-Israel lobby in the U.S. that’s aggressively campaigned in favor of Israel’s atrocities in Gaza—didn't get involved in Lee's primary this time, they're currently involved in dozens of other Democratic primaries. And these Dem candidates, all of whom are campaigning on abortion rights, are accepting AIPAC's endorsements, even though the PAC is simultaneously endorsing over 200 anti-abortion extremists. Tuesday, Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) won her primary against Bhavini Patel, her Democratic challenger. Lee defeated Patel by over 20 points in what many expected would be a competitive primary—especially as Patel attempted to cater to Republicans in the district, even calling on them to change parties to vote for her. Both candidates campaigned in support of abortion, as well as gun safety, LGBTQ rights, and affordable education. But only one candidate—Lee—supported a ceasefire in Gaza and was vocally critical of Israel's war crimes against Palestinians, where Patel campaigned on strong support for Israel. Lee won her race despite being heavily targeted by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)—the foremost pro-Israel lobby in the U.S. that’s aggressively campaigned in favor of Israel’s atrocities in Gaza—in 2022, which is currently endorsing and backing hundreds of anti-abortion Republicans this cycle, all while backing dozens of Democratic candidates. AIPAC has described its Democratic candidates as "strong pro-Israel voices who are also leaders in the Black, Hispanic, Asian American Pacific Islander, and Progressive Caucuses." House Majority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi are among the top Democrats who have historically been closely aligned with the lobbying group. Though Jeffries recently defied the PAC for trying to unseat House Democrats who have called for a ceasefire, AIPAC remains his top contributor this election cycle. Pelosi, meanwhile, has maintained a decades-long relationship with them since the start of her political career. However, in 2022, an Israeli newspaper raised that she didn't publicly acknowledge AIPAC's endorsement of her that year, the same year the PAC endorsed over 100 Congressional Republicans who refused to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. Also in 2022, former Rep. Andy Levins (D-MI), who is Jewish, expressed concern for Israel's “creeping annexation” of Palestine and authored legislation to back a two-state solution—prompting AIPAC to give $3 million to his Democratic rival, Haley Stevens, who defeated and unseated Levins in their primary. In addition to Jeffries, other top House Democrats receiving funding from AIPAC's $100 million spending push to unseat progressive candidates calling for a ceasefire this cycle include Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California, as well as Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Mike McCaul (R-TX). But as Democrats this election cycle campaign heavily on reproductive rights in the wake of Roe v. Wade's reversal, their cozy relationship with AIPAC is increasingly contradictory with their advocacy for reproductive rights. According to findings that Justice Democrats, a progressive political action committee, shared with Jezebel this week, AIPAC is…