The biggest outside spender so far in the 2026 midterm elections is the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s affiliated super PAC, whose support for pro-Israel lawmakers has become a campaign issue in several Democratic primaries.
The United Democracy Project spent $53.6 million on independent expenditures through Aug. 21, according to data compiled by OpenSecrets. AIPAC has donated $30 million to the super PAC, which may raise and spend unlimited sums.
AIPAC has donated millions to three other super PACs focused on House races in Illinois. In total, the pro-Israel community has spent $70.8 million on independent expenditures, second only to the crypto industry’s $77.1 million.
UDP, AIPAC’s main super PAC vehicle, has received million-dollar donations from people who also have written large checks to other political committees.
“We shouldn’t be surprised,” said Ben Dworkin, director of Rowan University’s Institute for Public Policy and Citizenship. “People of means rarely want to limit themselves, and if they want to contribute to any number of causes – partisan or issue-focused – if they have the ability to do so, they do so.”
And the list is bipartisan. Jan Koum, a co-founder of WhatsApp, has given $5 million to the super PAC over the last two election cycles. He is also a seven-figure donor to the Republican Jewish Coalition and to a super PAC with ties to President Donald Trump. He was the 25th largest individual donor to outside groups during the 2023-24 election cycle, according to OpenSecrets.
Investor Paul Singer, who has given $2.5 million to UDP, was the seventh biggest donor to outside groups last cycle. He has donated millions of dollars to the super PACs supporting House and Senate Republicans.
Across the aisle, media executive Haim Saban, who brought the Power Rangers to U.S. television, is a $3 million donor to UDP in addition to supporting the super PACs for House and Senate Democrats and state Democratic parties.
And real estate developer Andrew Schwartzberg, a $1.6-million donor to UDP, also gives to Democratic candidates and committees.
The money has allowed AIPAC to play in races across the country, primarily in Democratic primaries but also on the Republican side when Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky lost his primary.
Through Aug. 21, UDP has spent $53.6 million on congressional races, recording some victories (for example, spending $2.8 million to support Adrian Boafo in a House primary in Maryland) and some well-publicized defeats, such as spending $30.1 million in an unsuccessful effort to prevent Abdul El-Sayed from winning the Democratic primary for Senate in Michigan.
The group attracted unwanted criticism earlier this year when it spent $2.3 million against former Rep. Tom Malinowski, who previously ran with AIPAC’s endorsement, sinking the New Jersey Democrat’s chances of winning a special election primary. That paved the way for Analilia Mejia, who has accused Israel of genocide, to win a seat in the House.
Israel’s military response in Gaza to the attack by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, has led to accusations of genocide and to a drop in Americans’ support for the Jewish state, especially among Democrats. It also has made AIPAC itself a campaign issue.
While there are still plenty of big Democratic donors, many others in the party have soured on AIPAC due to its strong support of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has made no secret of his support for President Donald Trump.
In a June Quinnipiac University poll, 48% of American voters said the U.S. was too supportive of Israel, the highest percentage in the nine years the survey has been asking that question. That includes 66% of Democrats.
“Well, I think that they’ve lost the Democrats, to be completely frank,” said Guy Ziv, an associate professor at American University and the associate director of its Center for Israel Studies. “They certainly consider themselves to be nonpartisan, and traditionally they were nonpartisan, but that has changed in recent years.
“The perception matters more than reality as you know, and the perception is that they are a conservative pro-Netanyahu organization and that does not sit well with Democrats and many Republicans.”
Just the number of large donors has provided another campaign issue for Democrats, who have railed against big money in politics even before the Supreme Court opened the floodgates in its Citizens United decision.
“It’s become a major talking point for the party and for candidates,” Democratic consultant Joel Rubin said. “Although, of course, there is a lot of targeting one particular organization, but going after the broad narrative of countering big money in politics, AIPAC’s efforts do fit right into that frame which Democratic voters, Democratic politicians are really opposed to.”
