Key facts
- Super PACs linked to Aipac have spent over $5 million in a California congressional race.
- The spending targets the special election for Eric Swalwell's former seat in the East Bay.
- The funds support ads for Melissa Hernandez and against frontrunner Aisha Wahab.
- Aipac's political spending has doubled in recent years, reaching $67.2 million.
- Wahab criticized the use of 'dark money' and vowed not to let outside interests buy the race.
Super PACs affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (Aipac) have injected millions of dollars into a California congressional race, aiming to prevent progressive Democrat Aisha Wahab from securing Eric Swalwell's former seat.
Wahab, a state senator endorsed by the California Democratic Party, is the leading candidate in the special election for the East Bay district. She previously outperformed her closest rival, former Dublin mayor Melissa Hernandez, by over 20 percentage points in both a June primary and a special election to fill the remainder of Swalwell's term. The two are set to compete in a runoff election later this month, followed by a general election in November.
Recent reports indicate that over $5 million has been spent by these Super PACs on advertisements supporting Hernandez and attacking Wahab. Specifically, the Aipac-backed United Democracy Project contributed $1.2 million, while Bold America Pac, which receives substantial financial backing from United Democracy Project, added $2.1 million. Track Aipac, an organization monitoring Aipac's political funding, reported that the lobby has allocated more than $4.4 million to support Hernandez's campaign.
Aipac, recognized as one of the largest Super PACs and a prominent pro-Israel lobbying group in the U.S., has notably increased its political expenditures in recent years. The New York Times reported that Aipac has doubled its spending, primarily in Democratic primaries, to $67.2 million. This strategy mirrors past efforts, such as supporting moderate Haley Stevens in a Michigan Democratic Senate primary, where the progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed ultimately won.
Wahab has publicly addressed the negative advertising targeting her campaign, urging voters to seek information about her record directly. She has criticized Hernandez for allegedly avoiding debates and relying on 'dark money' to fund her campaign, asserting, 'We’re not going to let this race be bought by outside interests.'