AIPAC allies picked a candidate to target in New Jersey. They may have boosted a stronger critic of Israel

By Arit John, David Wright, CNN

(CNN) — During a forum last month, Analilia Mejia was the only person running in the Democratic primary for New Jersey’s 11th District who raised her hand when asked if she agreed with human rights groups that say Israel has committed a genocide in Gaza, a charge the Israeli government rejects.

Now, she may be on her way to Congress thanks in part to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s efforts in her race.

With votes still being counted, Mejia has a narrow lead over former Rep. Tom Malinowski after Thursday’s special election primary for the seat vacated by Gov. Mikie Sherrill. But the results appeared to be an embarrassing defeat for AIPAC, which helped fund a group that spent roughly $2 million on ads targeting Malinowski despite once supporting him.

“One of the great own goals in the history of American politics,” said Matt Bennett, a co-founder of Third Way, a moderate Democratic think tank. “Unbelievably dumb.”

Malinowski is a moderate who expressed openness for conditioning aid to Israel as the national Democratic Party shows more skepticism about the Israeli government in the wake of its offensive following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attacks.

Mejia, meanwhile, served as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ national political director during his 2020 presidential campaign. She was backed by Sanders as well as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

“I hope Dems begin to see that moderate or progressive, AIPAC is not our friend,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote on X. “They are a right-wing organization that undermines democracy.”

United Democracy Project, a super PAC aligned with AIPAC, sought in its ads to portray Malinowski as supportive of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, pointing to a 2019 vote for a bipartisan spending bill that provided funding to the agency.

“I think voters see that attack as particularly outrageous and disqualifying for the group that is promoting it,” Malinowski told CNN this week.

Despite those efforts, the winner of Thursday’s primary will be either Malinowski or Mejia, based on current vote totals. Former Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way, who was endorsed by the Democratic Majority for Israel, is currently in a distant third place.

“UDP will be closely monitoring dozens of primary races, including the June NJ-11 primary, to help ensure pro-Israel candidates are elected to Congress,” Patrick Dorton, a spokesperson for the United Democracy Project, said Friday.

Mejia on Friday denounced AIPAC’s efforts against Malinowski.

“I was disgusted that they were going after Tom Malinowski, but I didn’t need to see the assault to know the practices that they employ, and to be against it,” she said.

The left has long bemoaned AIPAC’s influence in Democratic primaries, as the group has spent millions seeking to block progressives from Congress, or oust them in primaries. Former Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Jamaal Bowman of New York lost primaries in 2024 to AIPAC-backed candidates.

“First and foremost, this election was a clear rejection of AIPAC by Democratic voters,” said Usamah Andrabi, a spokesperson for Justice Democrats, which backs progressive challengers and supported Bowman and Bush. “AIPAC spending and support for candidates is becoming a kiss of death in Democratic primaries because of the work our movement has done to expose them.”

AIPAC’s strategy could also further harm ties between the group and the moderate wing of the party.

“I can tell you that the anger among moderate Democrats is real today,” said Bennett, of Third Way.

Democrats worry that AIPAC and allied groups are already involved in upcoming primaries by funneling their money through other groups. The pro-Israel lobby deployed a similar tactic last year, when the United Democracy Project made a late $1 million donation to a group backing a moderate Democrat in an Oregon US House primary.

Candidates in the Illinois 9th District primary have pointed to Elect Chicago Women, a new super PAC that according to the tracking firm AdImpact recently started a $415,000 ad buy backing state Sen. Laura Fine. The group, which filed its statement of organization late last month, won’t have to disclose its February donors until after the state’s March 17 primary.

“New Jersey Democrats sent a clear message by rejecting AIPAC’s right-wing attempt to buy a congressional seat, and on March 17, Illinois Democrats will do the same,” Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss, who is one of several candidates running against Fine, said in a statement.

The Fine campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“This is just the opening chapter,” said Tali deGroot, vice president of political and digital strategy at J Street, a center-left pro-Israel group that plans to spend $3 million backing pro-democracy Democrats in the general election. “Even though they failed so epically (Thursday) night to elect a candidate that aligns with them, their political influence is not going away.”

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