Members of Congress’ far-left “Squad” who have championed Palestinians in the Middle East conflict are in danger of losing their seats in Democratic primaries.
The efforts to remove Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York have gained momentum with an influx of money from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and its political arm, the United Democracy Project.
AIPAC-connected organizations are expected to spend up to $100 million this election cycle, mainly on House races. That is four times the $26 million the United Democracy Project spent in the 2022 election cycle.
“We evaluate candidates from both parties on one criterion alone — their support for the US-Israel relationship,” AIPAC said in a statement to The Washington Times.
In Minnesota, former Minneapolis City Council member Don Samuels said AIPAC’s support would boost his chance of winning a rematch with Rep. Ilhan Omar, an outspoken critic of Israel who has been criticized for antisemitic rhetoric.
“It’s going to be a different race,” he told The Forward of increased support of pro-Israel groups such as AIPAC.
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AIPAC has not confirmed its support of Mr. Samuels over two other Democratic primary challengers, Sarah Gad and Tim Peterson.
Another Squad member, Rep. Summer Lee of Pennsylvania, has drooping job approval ratings and is facing a spirited primary challenge in the Pittsburgh district from borough council member Bhavini Patel.
Ms. Lee enters the race with five times the cash advantage over Ms. Patel.
In all these races, the Democratic Party split over the Israel-Hamas war is at the forefront.
Ms. Bush, Mr. Bowman, Ms. Lee and Ms. Omar were among the nine House Democrats who voted against a resolution voicing support for Israel and condemning Hamas shortly after the Oct. 7 terrorist raid on the Jewish state.
Ms. Bush and Mr. Bowman are the most endangered.
A defund-the-police activist who made a name for herself during the 2014 Ferguson riots, Ms. Bush won the state’s liberal 1st Congressional District, which includes St. Louis County, after defeating veteran Rep. Lacy Clay in the 2020 Democratic primary.
She now trails St. Louis prosecutor Wesley Bell by up to 22 percentage points in a recent poll. Ms. Bush has raised more than $924,000 and has $215,000 cash on hand, according to Federal Election Commission records.
Mr. Bell was also on the streets of Ferguson with protesters after the deadly confrontation between Officer Darren Wilson and Michael Brown, an unarmed Black man.
Mr. Bell facilitated talks between protesters and police in 2014 and was later elected to the Ferguson City Council. The young Black prosecutor early on distinguished his position on Israel from Ms. Bush.
“I think we have to stand with our allies, and Israel has always been an ally, but we always want to keep the door open for a two-state solution,” he said when he launched his campaign to replace Ms. Bush. “But we cannot give aid and comfort to terrorist organizations, and Hamas is a terrorist organization, and Israel has the right to defend themselves.”
Mr. Bell has received more than $167,000 from AIPAC as part of his almost $800,000 fundraising haul. He has almost $410,000 cash on hand, according to campaign finance reports.
Ms. Bush is under federal investigation for using campaign funds to hire her husband to provide her security. She has denied wrongdoing.
Ms. Bush’s outspoken pro-Palestinian views have made her a top target of AIPAC and its affiliates. She has picked up support from the other side of the Democratic Party’s divide over the Middle East conflict.
Pro-Palestinian American Jewish organizations, such as IfNotNow, launched in 2014, have rallied behind Ms. Bush and her fellow Squad members.
Ms. Bush called on her supporters to “reject AIPAC and defeat far-right extremism in the U.S. & across the world.”
Mr. Bowman, a Black liberal known for his political theatrics, has followed a similar trajectory in New York’s 16th Congressional District, which covers parts of the Bronx and the suburbs of Westchester County.
He arrived on the political scene as part of a wave of far-left candidates and easily defeated longtime Rep. Eliot Engel in the 2020 Democratic primary.
Mr. Bowman’s primary opponent this year, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, is a veteran politician with a string of election wins under his belt and financial support from AIPAC.
AIPAC has given more than $400,000 to Mr. Latimer’s campaign. He has collected a total of $1.4 million and has $1.3 million cash on hand, according to federal records.
The Bowman camp has been taking swings at Mr. Latimer for accepting donations from “Trump megadonors” through AIPAC.
Mr. Latimer’s campaign has hit back by accusing Mr. Bowman of “praising known antisemites.”
Mr. Bowman has raised nearly as much as Mr. Latimer. He has more than $630,000 cash on hand.
J Street, a more liberal Jewish advocacy alternative to AIPAC, rescinded its endorsement of Mr. Bowman in January. It said his anti-Israel rhetoric had “crossed a line.”
Mr. Bowman, who was censured late last year for pulling a fire alarm in the U.S. Capitol complex while the House was in session, has been criticized for remarks deemed antisemitic.
A TikTok post showed him in November with pro-Palestinian demonstrators in New York saying, “There was propaganda used in the beginning of the siege.”
“There’s still no evidence of beheaded babies or raped women. But they still keep using that lie [for] propaganda,” he said.
Days earlier, he and other lawmakers were offered a Nov. 14 screening of the Hamas attack.
Mr. Bowman later walked back his comments. He told Politico that the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas was a “war crime” and called for Hamas to release hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
“The U.N. confirmed that Hamas committed rape and sexual violence, a reprehensible fact that I condemn entirely,” he said.
• Kerry Picket can be reached at kpicket@washingtontimes.com.
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