The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) announced in a letter to members that it will stop endorsing candidates, stop making direct contributions through its political action committee, and stop earmarking donations to specific campaigns, reversing the strategy it adopted about five years ago, when it began giving directly to candidates.
«Endorsements, direct PAC contributions, and earmarking will no longer be part of our approach», the letter said, adding that the lobby «will prioritize increasing direct, organized contributions from individual Americans to candidates». AIPAC said the changes followed a strategic review of several months approved by its board, and described the 2026 election as «one of the most challenging environments in recent memory».
The decision comes as AIPAC faces growing criticism of its political influence over its support for Israel during the genocide in Gaza and the war with Iran, from progressive Democrats and some conservatives, and as candidates have distanced themselves from its money for fear that accepting it would hurt them at the polls. Several Democrats, including Senator Cory Booker, have said they will reject AIPAC money or all outside PAC money. AIPAC did not cite the criticism as the reason for the change, and its spokesperson Deryn Sousa said that «the only tactic we're married to is the most effective one».
The announcement does not end AIPAC's electoral spending. Its super PAC, the United Democracy Project, will continue operating and spending independently in House and Senate races, and Sousa called it «one of the most important tools that AIPAC members use to help defeat anti-Israel candidates». Federal filings through September 30 show the United Democracy Project made about $53.5 million in independent expenditures this year, and Jewish Insider reported that it spent more than $30 million supporting Rep. Haley Stevens in the Michigan Democratic Senate primary, which she lost.
AIPAC says its members gave more than $90 million directly to candidates this cycle, including through earmarked portal donations, and Jewish Insider reported that the PAC itself gave just over $3 million, within the $10,000 per candidate limit that applies to PACs. AIPAC had paused fundraising for 18 House Democrats who voted to cut US aid to Israel, while its portal links stayed active for 178 Republicans and 72 Democrats. It will keep recommending candidates «worthy of your support», and said new fundraising tools will arrive in the next cycle without naming them. Its letter warned that the 2028 cycle «will demand an even stronger commitment by our activists to pro-Israel politics».
