Pro-Israel Super PAC's Millions Reshape Illinois Democratic Primaries Amid Intra-Party Divide

New campaign finance reports reveal the significant financial footprint of a pro-Israel super PAC and its affiliates in key House races, intensifying debates over U.S. policy toward Israel within the Democratic Party.

Financial Footprint in Illinois Primaries

A super PAC aligned with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) significantly funded two previously undisclosed groups, which collectively spent over $14 million to influence pivotal House Democratic primaries in Illinois. These expenditures represent a notable escalation in the ongoing internal Democratic Party debate regarding U.S. policy toward Israel.

United Democracy Project (UDP), the super PAC aligned with AIPAC, openly spent $5 million supporting Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin in her unsuccessful bid for the state’s 7th Congressional District. However, UDP's involvement with two other groups—Elect Chicago Women and Affordable Chicago Now!—remained unconfirmed until newly filed federal fundraising reports became public. These reports, released Friday, showed UDP contributed $5.3 million of the $14.1 million the two groups raised. Furthermore, other donors who previously contributed to UDP provided millions more to these committees.

Combined, these three super PACs accounted for 60% of all outside spending in Illinois House primaries this year. While progressive factions had publicly speculated about a pro-Israel group being behind the substantial spending, direct ties between UDP and the two local committees were not officially confirmed until days after voters had cast their ballots.

Patrick Dorton, a spokesman for UDP, confirmed the support on Friday. "UDP was happy to support these local committees, along with Chicago donors, to make sure pro-Israel voices would have their voices heard," Dorton stated. He added, "Like many other groups, we are using a number of different tools to engage in races this cycle." Dorton also emphasized UDP’s overarching goal: "At the end of the day, AIPAC is focused on making sure we have the largest, bipartisan pro-Israel majority in Congress."

Election Outcomes Reflect Shifting Political Currents

The combined pro-Israel effort saw victories in two Democratic primaries. Former Rep. Melissa Bean and Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller both secured wins in crowded races that included progressive candidates who often adopted more critical stances on U.S. policy toward Israel.

However, the AIPAC-backed initiatives faced setbacks in two other districts. State Rep. La Shawn Ford narrowly defeated Conyears-Ervin, the candidate directly supported by UDP's open spending. In the 9th Congressional District, Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss emerged victorious in what was considered the most high-profile and contentious of the races, a contest that sharply exposed deep divisions within the Democratic Party on the issue of Israel.

During the 9th District primary, Elect Chicago Women spent over $5 million, initially supporting state Sen. Laura Fine before pivoting to attack Biss. Biss, who is Jewish, has been critical of the Israeli government and describes himself as a "progressive Zionist." When Biss proved to be a formidable opponent, the spending against him eventually ceased. Separately, another group, Chicago Progressive Partnership, attempted to undermine surging progressive candidate Kat Abughazaleh and subsequently boosted low-polling progressive Bushra Amiwala, in what appeared to be an effort to dilute the progressive vote. Both Abughazaleh and Amiwala have expressed strong criticism of Israel, including referring to its conduct in Gaza as "genocide." Chicago Progressive Partnership had not yet filed its February campaign finance report as of late Friday.

A Party Divided on Israel Policy

These election outcomes and the significant shielded spending occurred against a backdrop of evolving American voter sentiment, particularly among Democrats, concerning Israel. Recent NBC News polling indicated that two-thirds of Democrats expressed greater sympathy for Palestinians than Israelis, and a majority held a broadly negative view of Israel.

Despite these shifts, UDP's Dorton assessed the election results favorably for his organization's objectives, stating, "By any measure the Chicago delegation is more pro-Israel today than it was before the primary election."

However, Biss used his victory speech to address the influence of outside groups, specifically raising the issue of Israel policy. He argued that his campaign resonated with voters who understood the "nuance and complexity" of the intricate issues surrounding Israel, and he explicitly pushed back against pressure from groups like AIPAC. "AIPAC found out the hard way: The 9th District is not for sale," Biss declared. Progressive voices, including Usamah Andrabi, communications director at Justice Democrats, joined in celebrating the victories of Biss and Ford.

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