AIPAC's Influence in the United States: It's Worse Than You Thought

It is no secret that the United States has a “special relationship” with the State of Israel, or how difficult it would be for someone with even a moderately critical view of the war in Gaza to win an election in the U.S.

Anyone familiar with American politics—particularly the financial side of it—will know about the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel lobbying group that Republican Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky once claimed, “Every member of Congress has an ‘AIPAC guy.’”

In the 2024 midterm election cycle, AIPAC unabashedly positioned itself as a kingmaker, capable of making or breaking primary races. What remains less widely known is the true extent of its influence in American politics.

History

AIPAC was founded in 1954 as a lobbying division of the American Zionist Council (AZC) as part of a public relations effort following the Qibya massacre in the West Bank. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy forced the AZC to register as a foreign agent.

Kennedy had also set his sights on AIPAC, which had split from the AZC, but he was assassinated before he could act on it. AIPAC would go on to raise funds for political candidates through political action committees (PACs) that were officially unaffiliated with the organization.

Most infamously, in 2002, AIPAC lobbied the U.S. Congress in support of the American invasion of Iraq.

In 2021, AIPAC began directly raising money for congressional candidates for the first time through its own official Super PAC, allowing it to both donate to and spend on campaigns directly.

Track Record

The 2024 midterm elections brought renewed scrutiny to AIPAC’s influence, especially amid protests over the war in Gaza and increased attention to the role of the pro-Israel lobby in Congress. Instead of maintaining a low profile, AIPAC openly showcased its political power and boasted about the success of its endorsed candidates.

A notable example was the Democratic primary race for New York’s 16th Congressional District, where incumbent Jamal Bowman—a relatively mild critic of U.S. support for Israel—was defeated by AIPAC-endorsed George Latimer. The race became the most expensive congressional primary in history, taking place in a reliably Democratic district. Over $15 million was spent on the race by AIPAC or affiliated groups.

The second-most expensive race occurred in Missouri’s 1st District, where incumbent Cori Bush, another vocal critic of U.S. support for Israel, lost to AIPAC-endorsed Wesley Bell. AIPAC-affiliated groups spent $8 million on that race alone.

Following their defeats, AIPAC celebrated on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics.”

“Good Politics”

One needs to look no further than AIPAC’s own website to understand how being pro-Israel is not just “good politics” but often a prerequisite for electoral success in the U.S.

In a section titled “2024 AIPAC-Endorsed Primary Winners,” the site proudly declares:

“This cycle, an AIPAC-endorsed candidate has won in every district (322 races) where an endorsee was on the ballot. All 129 AIPAC-backed Democrats who have had their primary races in 2024 have won. These Democrats are strong pro-Israel voices who are also leaders in the Black, Hispanic, Asian American Pacific Islander, and Progressive Caucuses. This includes 105 Congressional Equality Caucus members, 41 Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus members, 21 Congressional Hispanic Caucus members, 34 Progressive Caucus members and 26 Congressional Black Caucus members.193 AIPAC-backed Republicans have won their elections. Being pro-Israel is good policy and good politics.”

AIPAC’s influence cuts across all geographic, racial, and political factions in Congress. Among current members of Congress, AIPAC has endorsed:

• 57% of women in Congress

• 50% of members who identify as LGBTQ+

• 61% of Jewish members

• 87% of military veterans

• 79% of freshman members

The last figure, showing that AIPAC endorsed 79% of newly elected members on Congress serving their first term in office is the most attention-grabbing number of all.

In total, AIPAC officially endorsed 361 Democratic and Republican candidates in the 2024 cycle and directly spent $53 million on them. Across all political races in the 2024 election cycle, AIPAC and affiliated PACs spent nearly $130 million, including $55 million for federal candidates and about $45 million specifically on members of Congress.

AIPAC has endorsed every member of congressional leadership, including Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries, along with the respective party whips.

AIPAC currently fundraises directly for all 361 of its endorsed members on its website.

Fun and Games

Aside from its fundraising efforts, AIPAC also routinely funds trips to Israel for members of Congress. These trips are financed through a nonprofit arm of the lobby. In 2024 alone, AIPAC funded eight separate trips for 71 members of Congress to visit and tour Israel.

These are not always one-time visits. Representative Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), who received $6 million in support from AIPAC during his first congressional campaign in 2022, took two trips to Israel—one in 2023 and another in 2024.

These visits typically involve meetings with high-level Israeli government officials.

AIPAC-endorsed Hakeem Jeffries, the Democratic House Leader and nominal opposition to AIPAC-endorsed Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, has traveled to Israel three times on AIPAC-funded trips, according to federal disclosures.

Benevolence of Infiltration?

AIPAC’s stated mission is to promote pro-Israel U.S. foreign policy. Yet, Israel is a country of just 9 million people—and still, an organization advocating for this small country’s interests spends hundreds of millions of dollars each election cycle and endorses two-thirds of the U.S. Congress.

Any other U.S. organization lobbying on behalf of a foreign country would be required to register as a foreign agent and would be barred from participating in political races. And yet, AIPAC remains exempt.

The ability of AIPAC to unseat two popular Democratic incumbents in safe blue districts solely because of their views on Israel is proof of its formidable power.

Of course, American politics is highly polarized. If you're pro-Israel, you may view AIPAC as a benevolent group strengthening ties with “America’s greatest ally.” If you’re skeptical, you may view it as a foreign agent meddling in domestic affairs.

The history, numbers, and public statements speak for themselves. Whether or not one chooses to believe them is another matter entirely.