In the latest indication that ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee are becoming a political liability in Democratic politics, Senate candidate and Democratic Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts publicly parted ways with the lobbying group on Thursday.
“In recent years, AIPAC has aligned itself too closely with Prime Minister Netanyahu’s government,” Moulton wrote. “I’m a friend of Israel, but not of its current government, and AIPAC’s mission today is to back that government. I don’t support that direction. That’s why I’ve decided to return the donations I’ve received and will not be accepting their support.”
Moulton on Wednesday announced he will be challenging progressive Senator Ed Markey in the upcoming 2026 primary, arguing that the 79-year-old incumbent ought to yield to “a new generation of leadership for Democrats and for America.”
Moulton joins three other Democratic members of Congress who recently vowed to stop accepting AIPAC money: Representatives Morgan McGarvey, Deborah Ross, and Valerie Foushee.
The commitment, from the moderate Massachusetts Democrat, shows the extent of Democratic backlash to the horrors inflicted on Gaza by Israel. A recent Quinnipiac poll found that a greater percentage of Democrats see supporting Israel as “not in the national interest” than “in the national interest,” and 70 percent of Democrats view Netanyahu unfavorably.
Perhaps naturally, then, it appears AIPAC’s brand is undergoing what Dylan Williams of the Center for International Policy called “NRA-ization,” in a nod to Democrats’ resentment of the National Rifle Association. As Semafor’s David Wiegel recently observed, “telling voters that you won’t seek AIPAC’s support” has become a “powerful argument” for Democratic primary candidates.
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