AIPAC’s Republican-Funded Super PAC Boosts L.A. Incumbent House Democrat

After spending tens of millions of dollars on Democratic primaries earlier this year to unseat House incumbents who have criticized the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza, lobbying group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is back spending money to influence congressional elections. 

Since Oct. 7, AIPAC’s super PAC, the United Democracy Project (UDP), has spent $1.5 million to support the re-election of fourth-term Democratic Rep. Jimmy Gomez, who is facing immigration attorney David Kim, a Democrat, in California’s Thirty-Fourth Congressional District general election.

The two Democrats advanced to the general election under California’s top-two primary system, which does not require general elections candidates to be from different parties. Gomez and Kim previously faced each other in the 2020 and 2022 elections, with Gomez winning by six points in the first contest and just over two points, or about 3,000 votes, in the second.

The super PAC has been supporting the incumbent and opposing Kim with ads, direct mail, and phone calls, most recently with a $515,000 TV ad buy for Gomez. The sum makes UDP by far the top outside spender in the race, according to OpenSecrets. Close to $382,000 of UDP’s spending so far has been to oppose Kim. The pro-Gomez buys are UDP’s first independent expenditures since August, when it knocked out progressive Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) in a primary, and it is the only general election race it has spent money on so far.

The cryptocurrency industry-funded super PAC Protect Progress has also spent $511,000 to support Gomez. Its affiliated crypto industry PAC has spent more than $40 million this cycle to take out Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in Ohio, among other candidates targeted.

UDP’s top donors this election cycle include several billionaire Republican megadonors: hedge fund founder Paul Singer, conservative Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus, and WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, each of whom have contributed at least a million dollars to a super PAC backing Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.

While Gomez in November 2023 called for a “cessation of hostilities” in the war in Gaza, and has criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, he was endorsed by AIPAC in the primary earlier this year. On its endorsements page, AIPAC cites Gomez’s legislative record, among other factors, like the lawmaker’s 2010 and 2019 trips to Israel with AIPAC’s sibling foundation.

In contrast, Kim’s foreign policy platform calls to “withhold all economic, diplomatic, and military aid to Israel” until a ceasefire in Gaza is achieved and humanitarian relief is restored. Kim’s platform also calls on the U.S. to “leverage diplomatic and economic influence to pressure the Israeli government to replace its far-right government, enabling more productive two-state negotiations.”

Kim told Sludge, “This massive infusion of outside money is proof of exactly what’s wrong with politics today. Since day one, we’ve been clear that Jimmy Gomez has refused to support a ceasefire, an arms embargo, or any meaningful action to bring peace in Gaza. It seems that AIPAC believes in his approach too—one that ignores the voices calling for justice and humanity.” 

Gomez’s campaign did not respond to an inquiry about whether it embraces the spending by UDP, and UDP did not respond to a question about its late spending supporting Gomez.

“We are disgusted yet unsurprised by AIPAC’s last minute spending spree on this race,” said Leo Shaffer, volunteer organizer with the American Jewish organization IfNotNow Los Angeles. “Despite having completely flown under the radar, the outcome of this race will have major implications for U.S. politics, far beyond CA-34.”

In addition to its ad spending, AIPAC’s PAC has contributed a total of $125,000 to Gomez’s campaign this cycle, according to FEC data, much of it in earmarked donations of $1,000 and above from individuals who support the group.