In a further sign that support for Israel is becoming politically toxic, Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers’s team has asked the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) not to run advertisements backing his campaign in Michigan, amid fears that association with the pro-Israel lobby could cost him votes.
The request, reported by Axios is the latest indication that AIPAC’s brand has become increasingly toxic in US politics as public support for Israel declines and candidates seek to distance themselves from the lobby.
Rogers, the Republican nominee for the US Senate, is running against Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, an outspoken critic of Israel and US military support for the occupation state. Rogers on the other hand has been a staunch supporter of Israel.
Rogers met AIPAC chair Michael Tuchin in Los Angeles last week. The following day, the lobby shelved an advertisement it had already produced attacking El-Sayed. AIPAC had been preparing to spend millions of dollars in the November election after pouring more than $30 million into an unsuccessful effort to stop El-Sayed from winning the Democratic primary.
READ: ‘I fabricate fake news’ says Israeli communications official
