J Street goes on the offensive against AIPAC-backed candidates

J Street announces a $3 million campaign to defeat several Republican candidates backed by AIPAC, marking an unusual offensive strategy for the liberal Jewish advocacy group. The move targets incumbents in competitive races and reflects growing tensions between the two organizations over Israel policy and campaign spending.

J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East advocacy group, announced it will spend $3 million to defeat a handful of Republican candidates backed by AIPAC, joining progressive groups targeting the American Israel Public Affairs Committee this election year. This offensive campaign is unusual for J Street, which typically endorses candidates but does not target opponents based on AIPAC endorsement. J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said it is a new era for the organization. The $3 million will fund ads targeting Republican Rep. Mike Collins, running for Senate in Georgia against Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff, and incumbents Max Miller of Ohio, Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin, Ryan Mackenzie of Pennsylvania, and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Iowa. Ben-Ami said the candidates were chosen because they face competitive races and have ideological distance from J Street, with many connected to efforts to overturn the 2020 election. AIPAC blasted the campaign on social media, calling it a dark money effort to defeat pro-Israel candidates. J Street's position has recently drifted toward supporting a phase-out of military aid to Israel by 2028.