The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (or AIPAC), a major pro-Israel lobbying group in the United States, has changed tactics ahead of the November 3 midterm elections, announcing that it will cease direct endorsements and donations to candidates.
AIPAC’s decision comes following a decline in public support for Israel in the US over its genocide of besieged Palestinians in Gaza.
A letter sent by AIPAC to its members on Wednesday, and first published by Jewish Insider, demonstrated the erosion of the Israeli lobby's influence on public opinion in the United States.
In its letter, AIPAC stated that the committee would end its "direct endorsements of candidates" and "donations up to certain amounts" beginning with the US midterm congressional elections on November 3.
Accordingly, AIPAC will no longer directly endorse any candidate as a committee and will end its direct donations to candidates under the political action committee (PAC) umbrella, which were limited to $5,000 per election or a total of $10,000 for primaries and general elections.
However, this decision will not affect the multi-million dollar donations that the pro-Israel group receives under the umbrella of its "super PAC."
According to Federal Election Commission (FEC) data, AIPAC was the largest PAC donor in the country in 2025, with $26.8 million donated to candidates and other political committees.
It has already poured tens of millions of dollars into races nationwide through its main election-spending vehicle, the United Democracy Project (UDP).
Discontent among Democrats
The decision, seen as a reflection of growing discontent among Democrats regarding Israeli policies following Israel's genocide in Gaza, resonated in the US media.
The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and CNBC, reported that AIPAC was forced to "change tactics" after some prominent Democratic candidates announced they were rejecting AIPAC's support.
The reported that AIPAC's shift in election tactics regarding US politics was influenced by the growing resentment towards Israel among Democratic voters, particularly due to the Gaza genocide.
The news reports highlighted that prominent Democrats such as Senators Cory Booker and Ruben Gallego, and California Governor Gavin Newsom, as well as many "progressive" figures, had pledged not to accept AIPAC donations due to pressure from their constituents.
Tensions between Democrats and the Israel lobby escalated in July when 103 Democratic members of the House of Representatives supported a resolution to cut aid to Israel.
The motion was rejected, but AIPAC later removed the names of the Democratic members of Congress who voted for it from its website.
Support for Israel declining
A recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center indicated that 80 percent of Democrats and independent Democrats hold negative views towards Israel.
The survey indicated that this rate, which was 53 percent in 2022, has increased significantly, particularly due to the humanitarian crisis caused by Israel in Gaza.
The shift extends beyond Democratic voters. The poll noted that negative views towards Israel, particularly among Republicans aged 18–49, have risen from 50 percent to 57 percent in the last year.
Conversely, the poll highlighted that the percentage of those with positive views towards Israel dropped from 55 percent in 2022 to 37 percent in 2026.
Israel has been carrying out genocide in Gaza since October 2023. Palestinians have recorded killings of more than 74,000 people — equivalent to about 3.4 percent of Gaza’s estimated prewar population of 2.2 million — most of them women and children, in the Israeli annihilation campaign.
Thousand of Palestinians are feared buried under rubble of bombed homes.
Experts contend that the actual death toll significantly exceeds what the Gaza authorities have reported, estimating it could be around 200,000.
The latest UN Trade and Development report has put recovery and reconstruction needs at $71.5 billion, warning that the estimate could rise as further damage is recorded.
