Of the roughly $20 million super PACs affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee have spent ahead of a quartet of Democratic congressional primaries in Illinois on Tuesday, the largest chunk has gone toward the state’s 9th District, one of the most heavily Jewish districts in the entire country.
It’s also the district where AIPAC’s preferred candidate is seen as having the least chance of winning. Two progressives whom AIPAC has spent millions of dollars opposing — Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss and journalist Kat Abughazaleh — are seen as the most likely victors, while the path to victory for State Sen. Laura Fine, whom AIPAC has backed, now relies on multiple left-wing candidates splitting their vote.
Progressives are hopeful AIPAC’s struggles in the 9th District, which includes Chicago’s North Side and suburbs to the north and east of the city, can provide a blueprint for other left-wing candidates hoping to battle AIPAC as the lobby seeks to stamp out any dissent within the Democratic Party on providing unconditional military aid to Israel. The strategy they hope to replicate is simple: Make sure voters in the district know who AIPAC is and why the group is pouring millions into elections.
