AIPAC fails its first test in the midterms
Despite heavy spending against former Rep. Tom Malinowski, he’s in a dead heat in the race for NJ’s open House seat
Former Rep. Tom Malinowski on Oct. 29. Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
By Jacob Kornbluh February 6, 2026
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee appeared to fall short in its first major test of the midterm elections. Former Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski, a top target of the pro-Israel group’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project, and progressive candidate Analilia Mejia, backed by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were locked in a dead heat in the New Jersey special election for a House seat, according to unofficial results.
AIPAC spent more than $2 million in negative attacks against Malinowski, 60, in the crowded Democratic primary for the House seat vacated by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill.
While AIPAC said it targeted Malinowski over his criticism of Israel, the TV ad it sponsored made no mention of the Jewish state. Instead, it highlighted his 2019 vote for a bipartisan border funding bill, which included an increase in funds for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
United Democracy Project was the top spender in the race for the northern New Jersey district, which includes a sizable Jewish electorate.
Whether or not Malinowski ultimately wins, AIPAC will have failed to achieve its goal of electing a Democrat in the primary who it views as being more supportive of Israel, either Essex County commissioner Brendan Gill or former lieutenant governor Tahesha Way. And if Mejia wins, AIPAC will have helped elect a progressive who is less supportive of Israel.
In a statement released Friday morning, United Democracy Project minimized the import of the contest, a special election ahead of a new race late this year. “The outcome in NJ-11 was an anticipated possibility, and our focus remains on who will serve the next full term in Congress,” it read. “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.”
In the 2024 election cycle, the group spent $28 million in high-stakes Democratic primaries. That contributed to the defeat of Reps. Jamaal Bowman of New York and Cori Bush of Missouri, strident critics of Israel. Malinowski, who served two terms in Congress from 2019 to 2023, holds a mainstream Democratic stance on Israel. During his first term, he traveled to Israel on a trip sponsored by the American Israel Education Foundation, AIPAC’s educational affiliate.
AIPAC has become increasingly controversial among mainstream Democrats for backing pro-Israel Republicans who questioned the 2020 election results. That opposition deepened during the Gaza war as Democratic voters became more polarized over U.S. policy on Israel. Congressional candidates, including some Jewish Democrats, have promised not to take contributions from AIPAC. The group has also drawn attacks from white nationalists and some leaders of the MAGA movement for their lobbying on behalf of a foreign government.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, who backed Mejia in the race, said AIPAC’s attacks on Malinowski were “an attempt to wholesale intimidate the entire party.” Mejia accused Israel of committing genocide in the war against Hamas in Gaza, but AIPAC didn’t target her, as it similarly did not spend in 2024 to defeat Reps. Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.
When AIPAC launched the attack ad against Malinowski last month, he suggested it would boomerang against them. “I have many pro-Israel supporters in the district, including AIPAC members, who believe you can be passionately pro-Israel while being critical of Netanyahu,” Malinowski said.
“To say that they’re appalled by this ad would be an understatement. In fact, I’m reading a collective sense that AIPAC has lost its mind.”
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