JTA — In the weeks since progressive Israel critic Abdul El-Sayed won the Democratic primary in Michigan’s US Senate race, many Jewish and pro-Israel constituencies in the state and beyond are lining up — sometimes reluctantly — for his Republican opponent.
But recent reports have cast doubt on how much support the GOP candidate, former US Rep. Mike Rogers, is comfortable receiving from pro-Israel donors.
According to multiple outlets, Rogers and his representatives have signalled to AIPAC that they would like the pro-Israel lobbying giant to refrain from directly spending in his favor in the general election in order to avoid opening up a line of attack against the candidate, with whom El-Sayed is currently polling in a statistical tie. The campaign is instead suggesting alternative avenues of support, including funnelling cash into a general pro-Rogers super PAC.
Rogers did not respond to a Jewish Telegraphic Agency request for comment. And there is no sign the Rogers campaign has cut off relationships with AIPAC, its aligned super PACs or their donor class. Far from it: Rogers recently attended several major AIPAC-connected fundraisers in Los Angeles, according to the Times.
In addition, the vast majority of AIPAC-aligned Jewish donors to his campaign remain in his corner, according to Dennis Bernard, a Jewish resident of metro Detroit and political fundraiser who has said he will support Rogers.
