Congressional Democrats unveiled a political action committee Friday to combat intraparty antisemitism.
The Alliance Against Anti-Semitism PAC will be co-chaired by Reps. Greg Landsman (D-OH), Laura Friedman (D-CA), and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA), as seen on a statement of organization the PAC filed with the Federal Election Commission in October.
“We want to celebrate and lift up those leaders who are unapologetically going to fight back against hate in all of its forms, including antisemitism,” Landsman told Jewish Insider on Thursday. “Sometimes antisemitism gets lost. This is our effort to root it out on our side, and I think it’s going to have an enormous impact.”
“There has been a lot of demonizing and othering of Jews, particularly Jews who believe in Jewish self-determination and statehood,” Landsman added. “I think it’s really important that we clarify that for folks.”
Democrats have been dealing with internal divisions over support for Israel, particularly prior to the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, when there were widespread reports of hunger in Gaza. Over 70% of Democrats believe Israel is conducting a genocide in Gaza, according to an October poll conducted by YouGov. Seven percent of respondents held a favorable view of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The PAC hopes to endorse and donate to candidates it believes can speak out on antisemitism ahead of next year’s primary elections for Congress.
While the PAC has not stated if it will develop a report card or any sort of litmus test to identify the candidates it will endorse, Friedman did say supporters of the Antisemitism Awareness Act will serve as a key indicator for the PAC on who to support.
“That bill should have been passed a long time ago,” she said.
The bill, introduced by Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), would direct the Education Department to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, which would put an end to the pro-Hamas movement on college campuses.
The new PAC is not the only Democratic committee focused on Jewish interests, but it is the first with a focus specifically on antisemitism, rather than pro-Israel candidates.
The Democratic Majority for Israel PAC announced on Thursday that it would endorse Reps. Angie Craig (D-MN), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Chris Pappas (D-NH), and former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper in their 2026 Senate bids.
Other PACs, such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, have long supported pro-Israel candidates for Congress since its inception in 1954.
The creation of the AAAS PAC, however, comes after elected officials within the party, such as Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, have vilified support of Israel and backed anti-Israel actors.
Mamdani seemed to accuse a New York synagogue of promoting “activities that violate international law” on Thursday, even as he condemned protesters outside the synagogue’s event for using the phrase “globalize the intifada.”
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At one point during his campaign, Mamdani stood alongside an unindicted co-conspirator of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing for a photo opportunity in October.
Mamdani also championed and protested alongside international Columbia University graduate student Mahmoud Khalil, who was accused by the State Department of engaging in antisemitic activities at the school.
