Centrist US Democrat says he returned AIPAC donations, cites ties to Netanyahu | Election news

A prominent lawmaker in the United States has announced that he will return donations from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), underscoring the powerful pro-Israel lobby group's declining appeal among Democrats.

Congressman Seth Moulton distanced himself from AIPAC on Thursday, citing the group's support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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Moulton is slated to challenge progressive Sen. Ed Markey in next year's Democratic primary before the midterm elections.

The move by Moulton, a centrist and strong supporter of Israel, shows that support from AIPAC is increasingly becoming a political liability for Democrats after the horrors Israel unleashed on Gaza.

“In recent years, AIPAC has aligned itself too closely with the government of Prime Minister (Benyamin) Netanyahu,” Moulton said in a statement.

“I am a friend of Israel, but not of its current government, and AIPAC's mission today is to support that government. I do not support this direction. That is why I have decided to return the donations I received and will not accept their support.”

For decades, Israel has used its political connections and network of wealthy donors to push for unconditional support for Israel.

In 2022, AIPAC organized a political action committee (PAC) to make an impact in the US electionsmostly using his financial clout to defeat progressive candidates critical of Israel in Democratic primaries.

Last year, the group helped remove two prominent critics of Israel from Congress — Jamal Bowman and Corey Bush – by backing their main rivals with tens of millions of dollars.

I return donations from AIPAC and refuse to accept donations or support from them.

The FEC filing I made yesterday reflects that we are returning donations. pic.twitter.com/shBgHmYB1s

— Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) October 16, 2025

Increased control

But Israel's war on Gaza has drawn a wave of criticism, with leading human rights groups and UN investigators calling it genocide.

In light of this discontent, AIPAC's role in US politics has come under increased scrutiny, particularly in Democratic circles, where support for Israel has declined to historic lows.

Additionally, AIPAC supported far-right candidates such as Congressman Randy Fine – who celebrated the killing of an American citizen by Israel and openly called for Palestinians to be starved in Gaza – which further alienated some Democrats.

Critics of AIPAC often liken it to the National Rifle Association (NRA), the once bipartisan gun rights lobby that Democrats now reject almost everywhere.

Osama Andrabi, a spokesman for the progressive group Justice Democrats, said AIPAC and its affiliates are “transforming themselves from a lobby that establishment Democrats can rely on to buy a seat in Washington to a kiss of death for candidates who have their support.”

“Our movement's work to demand that the Democratic Party reject AIPAC as a toxic pariah is not only working, it's ensuring that the influence of the pro-genocide Israel lobby in Washington is waning,” Andrabi told Al Jazeera.

Even on the right side of the ideological spectrum, some figures in President Donald Trump's America First movement are critical of AIPAC's outsized influence.

In August, the lobbying group accused right-wing Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Green of betraying “American values” for her criticism of Israel.

Green fired backstating that AIPAC serves the interests of a foreign government. “I'm as American as they come! I can't be bought and I won't back down,” she wrote in a social media post.

AIPAC is expected to target some key races in next year's midterm elections, including the Democratic Senate primary in Michigan, where the progressive candidate Abdul El-Sayed is up against staunch Israel supporter Haley Stevens.

In 2022, the lobbying group helped Stevens defeat then-Congressman Andy Levinewho came from a prominent Jewish family in Michigan, in the primary home.

Although it is one of the better-known lobbying groups in the US, AIPAC is among dozens of pro-Israel advocacy organizations across the country, including some that also raise funds for candidates, such as NORPAC.

During the assault on Gaza, AIPAC repeated the lie that it did not Israel-imposed famine in the territory and defended the genocidal behavior of the Israeli army while calling for more US aid to the country.

AIPAC claims to be an all-American organization, with 100 percent of its funding coming from the United States. It denies taking instructions from Israel.

But the lobby group is almost always in full alignment with the Israeli government.

AIPAC members also meet frequently with Israeli leaders. The group also arranges free trips for US lawmakers to travel to Israel and meet with Israeli officials.

“It's interesting”

The pro-Israel group's staunch support for Netanyahu's government puts it at odds with the overwhelming majority of Democrats.

A survey this month from the Pew Research Center showed that only 18 percent of Democratic respondents had favorable views of the Israeli government.

Still, Democratic Party leaders continue to contact AIPAC and accept its endorsement. In August, House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar joined lawmakers on an AIPAC-sponsored trip to Israel.

That same month, AIPAC-endorsed House Minority Representative Catherine Clark won the group's praise after walking back comments condemning “the famine, the genocide and the destruction of Gaza.”

Governor of California Gavin Newsom — who is widely considered a potential 2028 presidential candidate — also sidestepped a question about AIPAC in an interview this week.

Asked about the organization on the Higher Education Podcast, Newsom said AIPAC is not relevant to his day-to-day life.

“I hadn't thought about AIPAC, and it's interesting. You're like the first person to bring up AIPAC in years, which is interesting,” he said.

In response to Moulton's comments Thursday, AIPAC issued a defiant statement accusing the Democrat of “abandoning his friends to grab a headline.”

“His statement comes after years of him repeatedly asking for our endorsement and is a clear message to AIPAC members in Massachusetts and millions of pro-Israel Democrats across the country that he rejects their support and will not support them,” the group said in a social media post.