The Republican primary race to unseat US Representative and Israel critic Thomas Massie has become the most expensive House primary in history, with pro-Israel groups pouring millions of dollars into the contest. The election is being seen as a test case intended to warn lawmakers that criticism of Israel can cost them their seat.
According to Politico, ad spending in the Kentucky race has topped $32 million, surpassing previous House primary records. The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), its super PAC United Democracy Project and the Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund have spent more than $9 million in a bid to defeat Massie, while prominent pro-Israel Republican donors have contributed millions more to a Trump-aligned super PAC supporting his challenger, former Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein.
The scale of spending has turned the contest into more than a local Republican primary. Politico described Tuesday’s vote as “a key test of the lobby’s power” inside a party where longstanding support for Israel has begun to show signs of strain, particularly among younger Republicans and “America First” conservatives opposed to foreign military aid and US entanglement in Israel’s wars.
