Michael Brochstein/ZUMA Press Wire
Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens defeated Democratic Rep. Andy Levine on Tuesday in a showdown between two incumbents competing in the same district after Michigan lost her seat after redistricting. Levin, the son of former Rep. Sander Levin and the nephew of the late Senator Carl Levin, is a progressive with the support of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, while Stevens has a more moderate platform. But what’s most notable about this race isn’t what they say or do — it’s the massive funding from the American Israel Public Affairs Council, in its words the largest lobbying group in America, “a partnership with our ally Israel to build a strong, lasting and mutually beneficial relationship.”
The group invested $4.3 million in support of Stevens’ campaign, using a super PAC called the United Democracy Project, whose ads did not show the group’s actual purpose. What’s the backstory there?NBC News provide some useful context:
In January of this year, one of Stevens’ most important fundraisers, former AIPAC chairman David Victor, sent out an invitation to friends, accusing Levin of being Jewish, “arguably the most corrosive of Congress to the U.S.-Israel relationship.” member”.
In an email to a friend, Victor argued that Levin was too critical of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, and the fact that Levin was Jewish provided cover for other lawmakers, calling himself pro-Israel, while also publishing similar condemnation. This puts Victor and AIPAC in a position to support Stevens, who is not Jewish.
By contrast, J-Street, a “pro-Israel, pro-peace” Jewish group that advocates a less hawkish Israel policy, spent just $700,000 for Levin. Interestingly, while AIPAC is very committed to getting Levin out of Congress because of a specific policy issue, the UDP’s ad doesn’t actually mention that policy.
J-Street argued, without success, that Levine was being targeted by right-wingers wading into the Democratic primary. AIPAC also endorsement Many Republicans voted to overturn the 2020 election results, and most of the UDP’s funding comes from Republican mega-donors, including hedge funder Paul Singer.
After years of courting Trump, AIPAC has been one of the biggest spenders in this year’s Democratic primary.Last month, it was phased out $6 million Defeat former Maryland Rep. Donna Edwards, who is seeking to return to Congress. In that game, UDP be attacked Edwards “has a bad reputation for voter service” — the group’s true passion. In South Texas, UDP spent $1.9 million on behalf of Rep. Henry Cuellar, who defeated progressive challenger Jessica Cisneros by 289 votes.
