AIPAC faces calls to reassess strategy after split results in Illinois

AIPAC-aligned super PACs won two of four contested Illinois House primaries Tuesday but faced internal criticism after spending nearly $22 million with mixed results, including a $7 million failed effort to stop Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss in the 9th District. Biss, whose mother is Israeli, defeated the group's attacks and won the crowded primary, while the organization also lost in the 7th District despite a nearly $5 million super PAC investment backing Chicago Treasurer Melissa Conyears-Ervin, who fell to state Rep. La Shawn Ford. Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller and former Rep. Melissa Bean won AIPAC-backed races in the 2nd and 8th Districts, but a longtime AIPAC member said the group "should reconsider their strategy" after the costly defeats. The losses underscore tensions within the pro-Israel Democratic coalition as recent polling shows 57 percent of Democrats now view Israel negatively, up sharply from 35 percent after October 7, 2023. Democratic candidates nationwide are now watching whether AIPAC will maintain its intervention strategy in upcoming House, Michigan Senate, and Minnesota Senate primaries.