Pro-Israel group’s donors and affiliates pour $13.7 million into Chicago-area primaries

When the American Israel Public Affairs Committee reached out to Democratic congressional candidate Jeff Cohen in November, he was open to talking about the group’s potential support in his run for retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky’s seat.

Cohen, an economist from Evanston, says he supports the U.S.-Israel alliance and was interested in hearing from the group that has championed that cause for decades. At the same time, he does not believe U.S. military aid to Israel should be a blank check.

The meeting was at a coffee shop and lasted an hour. Cohen says he expressed support for Israel but “probably sounded like someone who was going to take a very hard look” at the country’s “behavior” in Gaza.

Cohen never heard back from AIPAC. Then he noticed a deluge of donations from around the country for another candidate — a state senator who had not called for stricter conditions on aid to Israel.

Cohen is among several Democrats in four wide-open Chicago-area congressional primaries to have met with AIPAC and learned the group has drawn a hard line on one thing: unconditional U.S. military aid to Israel. The topic has become a flashpoint for candidates and voters as more Democrats call for improving human rights in Gaza.

AIPAC donors and affiliates have spent $13.7 million on the group’s preferred candidates in the four races, a WBEZ analysis of federal campaign disclosures found.

WBEZ surveyed the 46 candidates in those March 17 primaries about whether there should be strict U.S. conditions on military aid to Israel as, whether that country has committed genocide in Gaza, and whether AIPAC funding should be off-limits in these races.

Most of the respondents said yes to those questions, but the four AIPAC-aligned candidates would not answer yes or no.

Big campaign spending isn’t new for AIPAC, which has been around for 72 years. But the group is operating more covertly than ever, Democratic strategists say. AIPAC is working through newly formed political action committees that are hard to trace and that bankroll campaign mailers, phone calls and TV commercials. So far, that publicity hasn’t mentioned the Middle East, focusing instead on things like immigration and affordability.

AIPAC has not responded to WBEZ questions about its candidate selection criteria or Chicago-area tactics.

“They’re trying to influence these elections … by invoking other issues that have nothing to do with Israel,” says veteran political consultant David Axelrod, who was chief strategist and senior advisor to President Barack Obama.

“This isn’t unusual in American politics,” he adds. “But given the volatility of issues involving Israel now, it’s conspicuous in this case that they’re working so hard to submerge their own participation.”

Secretive spending

The AIPAC-linked candidates — all Democrats — include Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller in the 2nd District, Chicago City Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin in the 7th, former U.S. Rep. Melissa Bean in the 8th and state Sen. Laura Fine in the 9th.

AIPAC is supporting them in two main ways. The first is steering AIPAC donors to the candidates through online fundraisers, in-person events and email solicitations.

In all, 1,722 donors to AIPAC or its main super PAC had contributed to at least one of the four candidates by the start of the year, according to the WBEZ analysis. Of those donors, 1,521 (88.3%) lived outside Illinois and nearly a third contributed to more than one of the candidates. The AIPAC-linked donations totaled nearly $2.9 million.

Candidates receiving those donations have depicted the link to AIPAC as a coincidence.

The second way AIPAC has propelled the Chicago-area candidates is through super PACs, which cannot donate directly to candidates or coordinate with them but can raise and spend unlimited sums on their behalf.

AIPAC-tied super PACs have spent $10.8 million on TV ads, phone outreach and mailers for the four candidates, according to federal filings.

AIPAC, a national lobbying organization with more than 6 million members, tries to ensure U.S. policies and public perception favor Israel. The group spends big on Republican and Democratic candidates alike and aggressively targets Israel critics.

But AIPAC over the years has fallen out of favor with some Democrats and Jewish progressives who have recoiled from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s tactics in Gaza and from AIPAC’s backing of Republicans who voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election.

Illinois’ two-term Democratic governor, JB Pritzker, believes AIPAC has “abandoned their principles.” Pritzker, the state’s third Jewish governor, was a driving force behind construction of the Illinois Holocaust Museum.

“Just because they donate to certain Democrats doesn’t change the fact that they are heeding the words and direction of Jared Kushner and other Trump acolytes,” Pritzker campaign spokesman Alex Gough said in a statement.

Pritzker is not alone with that sentiment.

“There’s no question they’re right-wing,” says Steve Sheffey, who writes the Jewish newsletter The Fine Print and was an AIPAC member for 25 years. “They wouldn’t think of themselves as that, but they are right-wing on the issue that they advocate for, and also right-wing in who they support.”

Axelrod says that reputation has pushed AIPAC to operate “under the cloak of darkness.”

“Younger Jews who aren’t as steeped in [Israeli] history may have been horrified by what happened on Oct. 7 but then were horrified by what followed,” Axelrod says.

Hamas killed more than 1,200 people during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack in Israel, according to Israeli officials. More than 72,000 Palestinians have been killed since, according to Gaza health officials. Some died during a food shortage that a U.N. panel declared was a famine. A slew of human rights groups have concluded Israel has committed genocide in Gaza — a finding that Israel denies.

AIPAC has shown interest in Chicago-area Democratic congressional primaries that seem to be wide open after the retirement of longtime incumbents.

“With these four districts, where it can be anybody’s game, they’re heavily invested,” says Nick Sous, an organizer with the U.S. Palestinian Community Network, which is critical of AIPAC.

AIPAC has a chance in three of the races to replace incumbents increasingly critical of weapons sales to Israel.

Rep. Robin Kelly, who is stepping down to run for retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat, and retiring Reps. Danny Davis and Schakowsky signed onto the “Block the Bombs” bill last year. The measure would place more stringent human rights conditions on the sale of certain weapons — like bunker-busting bombs that can tear through concrete.

“They’re trying to force a power shift,” says Sous, whose group has pushed Illinois politicians to sign onto the bill.

Shell PACs

Newly formed super PACs with ties to AIPAC cropped up in January, joining the United Democracy Project, which has been active for four years and is throwing its weight behind Conyears-Ervin in the race for the 7th District, which stretches from the western suburbs to some Downtown and South Side areas.

The websites of Affordable Chicago Now and Elect Chicago Women include no information about Bean, Fine or Miller and no mention of Israel.

The committees’ ties to AIPAC and UDP aren’t obvious. But a WBEZ review of federal and state disclosures found the groups identifying shared registered agents and vendors

Their TV commercials and mailers have contained no reference to Israel. They have focused on domestic issues such as health care and immigration enforcement.

Neither ACN nor ECW responded to WBEZ questions on why the groups have poured millions of dollars into the Fine, Miller and Bean candidacies.

In the 2nd Congressional District, which covers part of the South Side and some nearby suburbs and rural areas, Miller is among 10 Democratic candidates vying to replace Kelly.

In addition to $2.3 million in super PAC spending, Miller has received a huge amount directly from AIPAC donors. They accounted for more than 72% of her $1.3 million in total receipts at the start of the year, according to the WBEZ analysis.

At least 578, or 65%, of her individual donors had contributed to AIPAC or UDP, the analysis shows. Of those, 515 (89%) lived outside Illinois. Since 2021, Miller's donors and their immediate family members had given more than $28.5 million to the two PACs.

Still, Miller leans into a technical truth: “AIPAC has not given me any campaign contributions,” she told WBEZ.

At a forum this month, Miller said she had received funds from a “broad base.”

“I don’t think that money coming into your campaign decides how you’re going to legislate, how you’re going to effectuate change in your district,” Miller said.

Miller’s campaign this week circulated a letter from Jewish leaders, including U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider and Chicago Ald. Debra Silverstein, that paints AIPAC’s role in the race as “Jewish engagement” and warns that criticizing the engagement “risks reinforcing harmful narratives at a time when antisemitism is rising.”

But Miller’s AIPAC support led to her losing Schakowsky’s endorsement this month. The longtime congresswoman, who is Jewish, said Illinois “deserves leaders who put voters first, not AIPAC.”

Ground skirmishes

AIPAC’s role is drawing fire from progressive candidates, especially in the 9th Congressional District, which stretches from the North Side to several northern and northwestern suburbs. The district is home to many Israelis and Palestinians, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, which doesn’t track religion.

In that primary, federal campaign finance records show, Elect Chicago Women has shelled out $2.2 million for Fine, the state senator.

Fine has also landed huge sums of AIPAC-tied cash. At least 984, or 67%, of her individual donors by the start of this year had contributed to AIPAC or UDP, the WBEZ analysis shows. Of those, 849 (86%) lived outside Illinois. The AIPAC-linked donors accounted for 73% of her $1.9 million in total receipts. Since 2021, the donors and their immediate family members have given more than $46 million to those pro-Israel committees.

This has become an issue for Fine in recent weeks. At a forum, candidates were handed signs with “yes” on one side and “no” on the other and asked a series of single-answer questions. When the moderator queried the group about whether they accepted money from AIPAC or its supporters, Fine was the only candidate among six on-stage to hold up a “yes” sign.

Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss posted video of the moment on his X account and drew nearly 22,000 views.

“She supports a blank check of military aid for Israel,” said Biss, who is Jewish and frequently talks up his ties to Israel but increasingly criticizes its actions. “That is a right-wing policy that is bad for Palestinians, Jews, Israelis, America and the world.”

Fine, also Jewish, hit back, saying Biss himself took AIPAC-connected money in 2024.

Elect Chicago Women last weekend unveiled its first negative TV ad against Biss, accusing him of “saying anything to get elected.”

In the 8th Congressional District, which covers some western and northwestern suburbs, Bean is among candidates hoping to replace Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who is running for Durbin’s Senate seat. She has benefited from $3.4 million in AIPAC-linked super PAC spending and, by the start of the year, her campaign had received more than a half-million dollars from AIPAC donors.

At least 314, or 57%, of Bean’s individual donors have also contributed to AIPAC or UDP since 2021, the WBEZ analysis shows. Of those, 272 (87%) lived outside Illinois. Her AIPAC-linked donors accounted for more than 39% of her $1.3 million in total receipts by the start of the year.

At a news conference focused on AIPAC spending, Bean rival Junaid Ahmed accused her of selling her candidacy.

“Melissa Bean will take their millions and then rubber stamp billions in unchecked military aid to Israel. Melissa Bean will look the other way as Israel commits a genocide,” said Ahmed, a director at a cloud computing firm.

In response to WBEZ’s survey, Bean declined to provide yes-or-no answers but added, “I support a two-state solution in the Middle East that allows both Israelis and Palestinians to live in peace, safety and dignity.”

AIPAC has also been accused of parachuting into majority-Black areas where, candidates say, U.S.-Israel relations are not a top concern.

“They’re not investing in our schools. They’re not supporting the marginalized," said Anthony Driver Jr., who is running to replace Davis. “The 7th District is not for sale. My community is not for sale.”

Peters, a 2nd District candidate, stood with Driver at the AIPAC-focused news conference.

“I’m Black and Jewish and … AIPAC is not my friend,” Peters said. “[I]t gets conflated that AIPAC is about Jewish safety. I want to dissuade that. It is about Israel. Jewish safety comes through solidarity.”

Choosing favorites

A whopping 46 Democrats are running across the four congressional primaries. Most respondents to the WBEZ survey showed support for Palestinian rights.

More than two-thirds of respondents answered they would denounce AIPAC funding if offered. Two-thirds said they support strict human rights conditions on aid to Israel. More than half said they believe Israel has committed genocide in Gaza.

The four AIPAC-linked candidates were among a minority of respondents who declined to provide yes-or-no answers to a majority of questions. Conyears-Ervin did answer one question with a straightforward answer, saying she would not oppose sending U.S. military aid to Israel today.

Some primary contenders say AIPAC has a litmus test for choosing whom to back: Does the candidate support unconditional U.S. aid to Israel?

A “no” answer is disqualifying, according to candidates in the 2nd, 8th and 9th districts who took meetings with either AIPAC or the United Democracy Project, the group’s super PAC.

State Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, another candidate running to replace Davis, met with AIPAC late last year at a community graduation in his district. The AIPAC representative stressed the effect of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack in southern Israel, telling Ford, “You have to remember that date,” the candidate recalled.

Ford’s impression was that AIPAC would support candidates only if they oppose the “Block the Bombs” bill.

The AIPAC contact, whom Ford would not identify, eventually called him with news that the group would instead support Conyears-Ervin “and that they’re going to come out hard for her,” Ford recalled.

AIPAC’s spending has been most transparent in that race, where it is supporting Conyears-Ervin to the tune of $1.5 million through the UDP, whose donors through December have been disclosed. AIPAC’s role in that district, the 7th, has also evolved. At first, its donors were showering hundreds of thousands of dollars on River North developer Jason Friedman.

In a message to WBEZ, Conyears-Ervin responded to accusations that AIPAC’s support would influence her voting in Congress: “The idea that a Black woman’s vote is for sale is insulting and racist.”

State Sen. Willie Preston, D-Chicago, running to replace Kelly in the 2nd, also spoke with AIPAC but says it seemed the group sought “100% control.”

“The problem with AIPAC is that they are looking for slaves,” says Preston, chair of the Illinois Senate Black Caucus.

Neither AIPAC nor UDP responded to requests for comment about the alleged litmus test, but UDP spokesperson Patrick Dorton described it to the Jewish Telegraph this month.

“We are going to have a focus on stopping candidates who are detractors of Israel or who want to put conditions on aid,” Dorton said.