AIPAC’s political network spent $84.1 million in decided 2026 midterm races, with $55.3 million tied to contests where its favored candidates lost, Responsible Statecraft reported.
The outlet’s tally covered spending by United Democracy Project (UDP), AIPAC’s super PAC, and several affiliated political action committees. It said nearly two-thirds of the total went to races where the group’s preferred candidates lost.
Michigan accounted for the largest reported losing investment: UDP spent $31.47 million in an effort to block Abdul El-Sayed, who won the Democratic Senate primary and general election, according to Responsible Statecraft. In Illinois’ 9th Congressional District, Daniel Biss beat Laura Fine in the Democratic primary; UDP spent $6.31 million in that race.
UDP spent $5.03 million overall in Illinois’ 7th Congressional District, with most of the money backing Melissa Conyears-Ervin’s unsuccessful Democratic primary campaign, the outlet reported. In California’s 14th Congressional District, $4.92 million went toward supporting Melissa Hernandez and opposing Aisha Wahab in the Aug. 18 special-election runoff, an effort that did not succeed.
Maryland’s 5th District was a win: Adrian Boafo won the Democratic primary after UDP spent $5.73 million in support, Responsible Statecraft said. The outlet’s comparison with earlier midterms found that UDP’s preferred outcomes accounted for 69% of its spending in 2022 and 87% in 2024.
Responsible Statecraft described AIPAC as an early supporter of the Iran war and a major funder of ads targeting House and Senate candidates who called for ending U.S. aid to Israel. The report said Democratic gains came amid voter dissatisfaction with rising costs linked to the war. In a Wednesday post cited by the outlet, Vice President JD Vance wrote, “The reason we lost is the war. The president himself said so last night.”
The report said the losses may make fundraising harder as AIPAC seeks money for pro-Israel candidates in 2028. The group has also announced plans to end candidate endorsements and direct contributions through its traditional PAC while keeping UDP, a shift EconoTimes reported earlier.
