Branch members who face major challenges because of their stance on Israel have achieved their first victory. Here are other races to watch. news

Has the team reached a turning point?

Branch members – progressive, Democratic members of color of Congress – face major challenges because of their stance on Israel. Pro-Israel groups like AIPAC and billionaire Republican donors are pouring in tons of money to disempower black social justice lawmakers who oppose U.S. support for Israeli apartheid and Palestinian genocide.

We are witnessing an enormous money operation purge democratic critics of Israelat a time of massive public outcry and outrage over what Israel is doing to the Palestinians.

AIPAC focuses on Squad, as a pro-Israel lobbying group is predicted to spend 100 million dollars unseat those Democrats who urged President Biden to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. In a first test for progressive lawmakers, Rep. Summer Lee – the first black woman elected to Congress from Pennsylvania – killed her within the Democratic primary. Lee won by 20 points over her centrist opponent, a city councilwoman from Edgewood, Pennsylvania Bhavini Patel.

Patel, who positioned herself as a centrist Democrat, received financial support from Jeffrey Yass, a Republican Party businessman, TikTok and TruthSocial investor, and billionaire megadonor who supports public funding of private schools and conservative groups in Israel. Yass, now the biggest donor in your entire country within the 2024 electionsfunds Moderate PAC, a brilliant PAC that supports centrist Democrats like primary challenger Lee. Patel disavowed Yass’s support, which included over $600,000 sponsor advertisements that portrayed Lee as doesn’t support Biden because she criticized him.

One has to wonder why the Republican is getting involved within the Democratic primary and getting involved with Black people – specifically Summer Lee. Well, Yass also has relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and financed Netanyahu coupfaced with an attempt to take over Israeli courts mass protests.

Meanwhile, as AIPAC spreads its money amongst Democratic primary challengers, some members of the sphere may have a tougher re-election fight than Rep. Lee.

Elections

AIPAC is financing the campaign of Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a Democrat, who wants to unseat Rep. Jamaal Bowman in his New York district of Bronx and Westchester counties. Bowman is taken into account one of essentially the most defenseless progressives is running for Congress, and the district has been redrawn to represent more suburban Westchester.

AIPAC accounts for 42% of Latimer’s $1.4 million in total campaign contributions, according to data Interception.And a megadonor from Trump’s Republican Party organized a fundraiser for the candidate. The AIPAC donor even pushed for Jewish Republicans change party and vote against Bowman – a critic of Israel who has called for a ceasefire – within the Democratic primary.

Missouri Congresswoman Cori Bush is outperformed and outperformed by her challenger Wesley Bell, St. County Attorney Louis. Bush, who has been one of essentially the most vocal lawmakers in Congress opposing Israel’s bombing of Gaza, warned supporters that AIPAC wants to buy a seat within the House. Thanks to AIPAC’s support, Bell has $1.1 million in money on hand, twice as much as Bush. One February poll showed Bell leading Bush 22 points.

Elected in a wave of progressive prosecutors after the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, Bell, who had been running to unseat GOP Sen. Josh Hawley, abruptly modified the race to run against Bush.

“I have become a target of AIPAC not only because I believe that Palestinians deserve to live freely and in peace as Israelis do, but also because I want to protect our democracy from Republican extremism.” – Bush he said New York Times.

“We proudly support Wesley Bell, who is a strong advocate for U.S.-Israel relations,” he said Marshall Wittmann of AIPAC“in stark contrast to his opponent, who represents the extremist anti-Israel extreme.” Bell criticized Republican Bush for saying Israel was engaging in “ethnic cleansing campaign” against Palestinians in Gaza, calling her statement “offensive” and saying: “I think we have to stand with our allies.” Bell promised to “stand by the president.”

While Republican Bush received donations from the NBA star Kyrie Irving the Dallas Mavericks and progressive groups resembling the Squad Victory Fund and Progressive Voices for Peace, Bell has received donations from quite a few billionaires, including donors related to Republican politics. For example, hedge fund billionaire Daniel Loeb – who supported Democrats like Barack Obama and Cory Booker – financed GOP politicians like Elise Stefanik, Kevin McCarthy, Liz Cheney, Adam Kinzinger, John McCain and Mitt Romney.

And Reid Hoffman, the billionaire founder of LinkedIn and a Biden donor who financed Trump rival Nikki Haley, made the utmost donation to Bell.

Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) PAC endorsed Wesley Bell, claiming that Bush harbors “eternal hostility toward Israel.” DMFI PAC also endorsed Latimer within the New York race against Bowman. The pro-Israel group is spending a complete of $3 million on these two primary challengers to progressive black incumbents.

In Minnesota, Rep. Ilhan Omar also faces a challenge. Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries — which one biggest contributor is AIPAC and which he was accused of hatred towards Netanyahu attending Funded by AIPAC trip to Israel with 24 Democrats within the House — yet he supports Omar and all Democratic incumbents. Omar whose daughter Isra Hirsi was arrested and suspended from Columbia University for participating in a pro-Palestinian encampment protest called AIPAC “right-wing super PAC” financed by “dark money”.

Omar, who squeaked by and won a primary against former Minneapolis city councilor Don Samuels, is with a bonus of 18 points Samuels in a rematch in 2024. Samuels says he doesn’t receive money from AIPAC, which he spent $350,000 against Omar in 2022, but says it can consider this feature if proposed.

At this point, teammates Reps. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mas.) are secure. Pressley who did it evolved From pro-Israel position and now calling for a ceasefire was not serious opponent since her first victory in 2018, AIPAC has not taken any motion against her on this election campaign, according to “Polityka”..

In light of solid spending by AIPAC and others, greater than 20 progressive groups have joined forces to form “Reject AIPAC” This joint effort aims to challenge AIPAC’s campaign to silence “growing dissent in Congress” on Israel.

This growing opposition reflects the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza – the US-funded industrial massacre of tens of hundreds of Palestinians, famine and the first genocide broadcast live on social media. Two-thirds of the electorateincluding majorities amongst Democrats, Independents and Republicans, called for a ceasefire in Gaza and half of Biden voters respondents consider that Israel is committing genocide against the Palestinians.

AND majority of black Americans they need a everlasting ceasefire and conditional US military aid for Israel.

Palestine has grow to be a defining moment for human rights, social justice and freedom of speech this century. Pro-Gaza protests spill onto America’s streets and college campuses as Black students, scholars, clergy, community leaders, activists and others organize and speak out in support of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel, facing arrest, suspension and the penalty for it.

And it’s on this context that the Israel Lobby, just like the NRA and others, is engaging in legalized bribery of politicians, pouring money into races to replace the bench with more compliant, moderate members of Congress – including compliant black lawmakers – who will comply with the billions of dollars going into Israel and who will support every little thing Israel does.