The AIPAC backlash

In 2022, the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC spent about $4.5 million in a Democratic primary in Michigan — not attacking the incumbent, Andy Levin, but flooding the airwaves with positive ads for his opponent, Haley Stevens. Levin lost. Four years later, in August 2026, a similar scenario played out in the same state: AIPAC again poured millions into boosting Stevens, this time against challenger Dr. Abdullah Saiyah. But Saiyah won. The difference, Levin says, is that the electorate has changed — and AIPAC’s support, once a powerful asset, has become something closer to a liability.

What AIPAC is and how it changed

AIPAC (the American Israel Public Affairs Committee) was founded in the 1950s as a bipartisan lobbying organization whose goal is to strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship. For decades, its endorsement was a mark of mainstream political credibility, and its direct contributions were capped at $5,000 per candidate through its corporate PAC. But about five years ago, AIPAC began to shift strategy. Instead of merely lobbying members of Congress after they were elected, it started working to determine who got elected in the first place — using super PACs to run advertising and intervene in primary campaigns.