Dave Min and Joanna Weiss appear to have similar stances on Israel — but AIPAC has thrown its considerable weight behind Weiss.
The Democratic primary contest in California’s 47th congressional district, the seat currently held by outgoing incumbent Katie Porter, will provide the first real test of the pro-Israel lobby’s influence with Democrats since the war in Gaza broke out — not because the two leading candidates have vastly different public stances on U.S. support for Israel, but because the most powerful pro-Israel lobbying group in the country chose to flex its muscles in the race.
The district, which encompasses a large portion of Orange County, is expected to be competitive in November, but Tuesday’s primary contest could go either way. The United Democracy Project — the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s (AIPAC) independent-expenditure arm — has spent over $600,000 targeting state senator David Min, who has secured endorsements from prominent public figures such as Porter and organizations like the California AFL-CIO, the American Federation of Teachers, and the Los Angeles Times.
Community activist Joanna Weiss, for her part, has been endorsed by Representative and Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.), among others, as well as the Democratic Majority for Israel and Pro-Israel America organizations.
Neither the United Democracy Project nor Democratic Majority for Israel has clarified the specific reason behind support for Weiss over Min, who does publicly back Israel to a much greater degree than other candidates the organizations have targeted in the past, but Jewish Insider reported in February that the latter organization views Weiss as a more reliable supporter of Israel than her opponent. The source, whom Jewish Insider agreed to keep anonymous so they could describe private conversations, said the group soured on Min after he refused to make requested edits to his Israel position paper, which the Min campaign did not make publicly available.
Mark Mellman, the Democratic Majority For Israel PAC’s chairman, said Weiss — who lists “Addressing Hate and Antisemitism in Our Community” as a central issue on her campaign website — “strongly supports the enduring U.S.-Israel relationship and, once elected, will oppose placing additional conditions on U.S. aid for Israel as it seeks to disarm and dismantle Hamas.”
Pro-Israel America executive director Samantha Garelick has said that Weiss “will be a strong champion of the U.S.-Israel alliance,” while Min “has been less willing to engage.”
The Min campaign attributed AIPAC’s opposition to his candidacy to comments he made in a private meeting with some of the group’s donors — he reportedly shared his opposition to the annexation of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and criticisms of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — in a statement given to Jewish Insider.
“Despite State Sen. Min’s support of Israel, and a broad coalition of endorsements from the Jewish community, a number of Republican donors at AIPAC are upset that he has called for Bibi Netanyahu to be held accountable for the security failures on Oct. 7 and Netanyahu’s failure of leadership during the crisis,” Min campaign manager Dan Driscoll wrote in the statement. “Sen. Min does not believe in the annexation of West Bank settlements, he had hoped that a constructive dialogue could be had. It appears they disagreed.”
A campaign source also said that AIPAC frowned upon Min’s association with J Street, a progressive organization that describes itself as “pro-Israel, pro-peace” and believes “that only a negotiated resolution agreed to by Israelis and Palestinians can meet the legitimate needs and national aspirations of both peoples.”
J Street opposes West Bank settlements and has urged President Joe Biden to deter an Israeli operation in Rafah, the last remaining Hamas stronghold in the Gaza Strip. The group, which has also called on Biden to pursue “an immediate negotiated ceasefire” between Hamas and Israel, has often found itself butting heads with AIPAC. It endorsed Min in his 2018 House campaign but has not backed any candidate in this year’s primary.
U.S. support for Israel as it conducts its war against Hamas portends to be a salient issue for voters in the heavily Jewish California 47th, but, in a twist that has reportedly confused the Min campaign, that is not the subject of the AIPAC-associated United Democracy Project’s attacks. Instead, the commercial focuses on Min’s 2023 drunk-driving arrest, asking voters whether they can trust him given the recency of his misdemeanor DUI citation.