New York’s Democratic primaries exposed a growing divide inside the party over Israel, as several insurgent challengers successfully weaponized opponents’ ties to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and other pro-Israel groups while establishment-backed incumbents struggled in some of the cycle’s marquee races.
The results have fueled new questions about whether the influence of pro-Israel outside spending is beginning to soften in deep-blue urban districts, particularly as younger Democratic voters grow increasingly critical of Israel after the war in Gaza.
“The people that are winning in the left districts have learned they can be more and more intensely anti-Israel, and essentially, just much of it is antisemitism,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) told the Washington Examiner.
Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander ousted Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) in a closely watched race between two Jewish Democrats that became, in part, a referendum on Israel. Lander, who has described himself as a “liberal Zionist,” attacked Goldman over his support for Israel and refusal to call the war in Gaza a genocide.
Socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier also defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) after repeatedly attacking him over donations tied to AIPAC. State Assemblywoman Claire Valdez, another socialist, will succeed retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) after criticizing her chief rival over Israel and attempting to tie him to AIPAC and its affiliated super PAC, United Democracy Project, though UDP denied involvement in the race.
Across the country, attacks tied to AIPAC have intensified this cycle on both sides of the aisle, reflecting growing public skepticism toward Israel. In New York primaries in particular, insurgent challengers increasingly pointed to outside spending, donations, and donor networks connected to pro-Israel groups as evidence their opponents were too aligned with the political establishment.
AIPAC’s super PAC, UDP, has already spent more than $38 million this cycle through a mix of direct expenditures, contributions to allied groups, and shell PAC activity, according to federal filings. The group already surpassed the $26 million it spent during the 2022 election cycle and appears on pace to eclipse the $46.3 million it deployed in 2024.
Still, Democratic strategists cautioned against reducing the New York results to a single issue.
“These results underscore a growing divide inside the Democratic coalition over Israel,” one veteran New York Democratic strategist said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to reflect candidly on the situation.
“Party leaders are increasingly going to have to balance an older generation of voters and Jewish Democrats who have long held strong ties to Israel with a younger bloc of voters and elected officials who view the issue very differently,” the strategist added.
Kevin Walling, a Democratic strategist, argued that broader anti-establishment dynamics also shaped the outcomes.
“I think we saw mixed results from last night’s primary elections and a lot of people are working overtime to identify some larger narrative,” Walling said. “In NY-10 specifically, AIPAC and its affiliated PAC spent zero dollars in the race, and 30-point defeats for incumbents do not happen because of one particular issue.”
“What actually beat Congressman Goldman was a generational, anti-incumbent, and anti-establishment tide that’s already taken out other House Democrats this cycle,” he added.
Walling also pointed to Rep. Ritchie Torres’s (D-NY) decisive reelection victory in the Bronx as evidence that strongly pro-Israel Democrats can still prevail in New York.
“The same election in the same city that saw two DSA-backed candidates win with Mayor Mamdani’s endorsement and political operation also saw one of the most pro-Israel House Democrats, Congressman Ritchie Torres, overwhelmingly beat back a progressive challenge with more than 70% of the vote in his Bronx district,” Walling said. “Candidate quality matters.”
Torres defeated former state Assemblyman Michael Blake in New York’s 15th Congressional District, overcoming a challenge from the left and all but securing reelection in November. Unlike some other progressive challengers this cycle, Blake failed to gain major traction, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stayed out of the race.
Not every New York Democrat moved left on Israel. Micah Lasher, who won the primary to replace retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) with Nadler’s endorsement, has maintained more traditional pro-Israel positions and opposes cutting off U.S. weapons sales to Israel.
Still, some Democratic strategists argued the results amounted to a broader political warning for AIPAC and other pro-Israel groups as Democratic voters increasingly sour on both Israel’s conduct in Gaza and large outside spending operations.
“I think it is a warning shot,” Democratic strategist Brad Bannon said of the New York results and what they could signal for future primaries.
“Most Democrats nationally sympathize more with the Palestinians than the Israelis, and there’s also a hatred among Democratic activists toward big money,” Bannon added. “It’s a combination of the antipathy toward Israel and the big money third-party expenditures.”
Bannon argued the shift is not isolated to New York, though it may be more pronounced in large urban Democratic strongholds like Los Angeles, Seattle, and Portland.
“It’s not New York-specific,” Bannon said. “It’s basically Israel has lost its hold on the Democratic Party since the invasion of Gaza.”
Even so, pro-Israel groups still notched major victories elsewhere Tuesday night.
AIPAC poured $5.7 million into Maryland’s open 5th Congressional District primary backing state Del. Adrian Boafo, the preferred successor to retiring Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), a longtime ally of the organization. Boafo won decisively.
In a statement, AIPAC highlighted victories by endorsed candidates across New York, Maryland, and Utah, while acknowledging that some backed candidates lost.
“While disappointed that some of our endorsed candidates did not prevail, our community is proud to support pro-Israel Democrats and Republicans who stand for our values,” the group said.
The organization also emphasized that more than 180 AIPAC-endorsed Democrats and Republicans have advanced to the general election this cycle.
The New York results are likely to deepen tensions inside the Democratic Party, particularly for leaders like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), who now face the challenge of holding together a coalition increasingly divided over Israel as progressive voices gain influence within the party.
Max Grinstein contributed to this story.