cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/48650874

Once the guardian of the bipartisan pro-Israel consensus, it is now a polarizing force in the party.

June 12, 2026, 5:01 a.m. ET

When Brad Lander opened his Democratic primary bid for New York’s 10th Congressional District late last year, he made a promise that would once have meant political suicide: He would not do “AIPAC’s bidding” in Washington.

Now the June 23 primary is almost here, and AIPAC has been a recurring theme throughout the campaign. A progressive Jew and self-described liberal Zionist, Lander challenged his opponent, the pro-Israel incumbent Dan Goldman, to take a “people’s pledge” to limit money from super PACs. He has sent a steady stream of text and email blasts comparing AIPAC with Wall Street and crypto — a new, unholy trinity of corrupting influences in democratic politics.