Congress
AIPAC’s dwindling allies in Congress
With help from Jason Beeferman
Pro-Israel lobby AIPAC is set to enter the 120th Congress with fewer allies in Washington after a bruising election night for Republicans.
More than 30 of the bipartisan group’s preferred candidates fell this week — marking defeat for AIPAC in over three-fourths of the competitive races that have been called so far where it backed an incumbent. That includes ousted GOP Reps. Mike Lawler in New York, Brian Fitzpatrick in Pennsylvania and Max Miller in Ohio.
The pro-Israel group also lost one of its most influential allies in the Senate when Maine Democrat Troy Jackson trounced incumbent Republican Susan Collins, the powerful appropriations chair. AIPAC bundled over $3.3 million in contributions for Collins this cycle, more than it gathered for any other candidate. And it suffered a major setback in Michigan when progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed defeated Republican Mike Rogers after a contentious primary battle earlier this year.
“To the super PACs and special interests who tried to beat us, we are coming for your system of politics,” El-Sayed told a jubilant crowd at his election night party in Detroit on Tuesday night. “To AIPAC who spent $42 million against us, thank you for giving me the opportunity to beat you twice.”
The pro-Israel group, long a formidable force in electoral politics, has faced a reckoning in recent months amid significant voter unease over the U.S.-Israel relationship. In the latest POLITICO Poll, 34% of U.S. adults said the U.S. is too closely aligned with Israel’s government.
AIPAC has privately acknowledged it faces significant “challenges” ahead, telling allies in a memo obtained by POLITICO that it would no longer directly endorse candidates or contribute or earmark funds for their campaigns. But AIPAC will continue supporting candidates through its affiliated United Democracy Project super PAC.
AIPAC released a statement Wednesday afternoon congratulating the “hundreds of pro-Israel Democrats and Republicans who won their elections.”
“Our community will work with returning and newly elected members of both parties to advance America’s interests by strengthening the U.S.-Israel relationship,” AIPAC spokesperson Deryn Sousa told Blue Light News.
Liberal pro-Israel advocacy group J Street jumped on Tuesday night’s results as evidence of AIPAC’s waning influence. J Street spent $3 million via its action fund to help defeat GOP Reps. Miller, Derrick Van Orden in Wisconsin, Ryan Mackenzie in Pennsylvania and Mariannette Miller-Meeks in Iowa, as well as GOP Senate nominee Mike Collins in Georgia. All five candidates lost.
“This is an earthquake for the influence of AIPAC, the influence of J Street, and where we stand inside the Democratic Party,” said Ilan Goldenberg, J Street’s senior vice president and chief policy officer. “Democrats want to have a relationship with Israel. They want to have a constructive relationship with Israel. They don’t want to give Israel a blank check.”
Many of AIPAC’s losses across the country this cycle weren’t driven solely by policy debates about Israel. The shellacking came after several progressive Israel critics beat out AIPAC-backed candidates in Democratic primaries earlier this year.
“There’s plenty of pro-Israel candidates who won tough races too,” said Democratic Majority for Israel President Brian Romick. “You had a D by your name, you won.”
Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York officially announced his bid to lead the House Foreign Affairs Committee in a letter to colleagues Thursday.
Meeks is not expected to face a challenger despite sharp divisions within the party over issues like military aid for Israel, and his letter did not mention any of those policy disputes.
Long-time leader: Meeks has been the top Democrat on the panel since 2021, and he pointed to his record of opposition to the Trump administration’s foreign policy priorities as a reason for fellow Democrats to support his bid.
Meeks highlighted his efforts to roll back President Donald Trump’s tariffs and his backing for repealing longstanding authorizations for the use of military force. He also noted his support for Ukraine, his success in shepherding a State Department reauthorization and the progress panel Democrats have already made holding the administration to account for “lawlessness and corruption.”
“Even in the minority, we have delivered for our Caucus. We have driven the agenda on issues that matter to the American people, including the high cost of living driven by Trump’s war in Iran and reckless tariffs, and held this Administration accountable for its abuse of power and corruption,” Meeks wrote.
Bipartisan work? Meeks promised that if he is chosen as chair, he “will build on this Committee’s good work under Democratic leadership, hold the Trump Administration accountable using all available oversight tools, and continue to deliver real, bipartisan solutions that advance America’s interests.”
Rep. Greg Steube is running for GOP Conference Chair — and out with a harsh message for the current leadership team about Tuesday’s loss.
“Republicans didn’t lose because we were too conservative. We lost because we failed to deliver on the conservative policies we promised,” the Florida Republican said in a post on X Thursday afternoon, accompanied by a picture of a letter to colleagues announcing his candidacy.
“I’m not interested in preserving the status quo,” Steube added. “I’m stepping forward to give Members a conservative choice and take our Conference in a new direction.”
He is joining the race against current GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain of Michigan and Rep. Erin Houchin of Indiana to serve in the leadership position focused on party messaging.
Steube, who has criticized and broken with House GOP leaders in the past, gave his most scathing remarks after Tuesday’s catastrophic loss for Republicans, telling Senate and House leaders that “the polls were not wrong. You were.”
“Even with record amounts of money at your disposal, you managed to get absolutely annihilated,” Steube posted on X after the election. “You have been embarrassingly weak and more afraid of governing conservatively than of disappointing the voters who put us in office.”
Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, 93, has refuted rumors he will step down during the lame-duck session to prevent incoming Democratic Gov. Rob Sand from having an opportunity to appoint his successor.
“He remains committed to delivering for the people of Iowa, who overwhelmingly elected him to a six-year term in 2022,” Grassley’s chief of staff wrote on X Thursday.
A spokesperson from Grassley’s office declined further comment on the post.
Grassley, who is third in line for the presidency, Senate Judiciary chair and a member of the Senate Agriculture panel, has not yet said if he will run for a ninth term in 2028. If he did, he could be the second senator to turn 100 in the chamber after former South Carolina Sen. Strom Thurmond.
Republican Iowa lawmakers were decimated in Tuesday’s midterms. Josh Turek bested Republican Rep. Ashley Hinson for retiring Sen. Joni Ernst’s Senate seat. Democrats also flipped three of the state’s four congressional districts.
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