Democratic Majority for Israel rolls out its first endorsements in primary contests across the country.
A pro-Israel group with a history spending big cash is wading into a trio of messy House Democratic primaries.
The Democratic Majority for Israel PAC is backing nine House Democratic candidates, including three in crowded and expensive primary contests in California, Oregon and Virginia. The endorsements were shared first with POLITICO.
DMFI — along with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, AIPAC — is part of a constellation of pro-Israel groups that have emerged as major political spenders in recent years, particularly intervening in primaries to shape the Democratic caucus. In 2022, DMFI spent more than $3.6 million on TV, radio and digital ads in more than a dozen House races.
The issue has become even more salient for donors and voters in light of the Israel-Hamas conflict.
In California, DMFI is backing Joanna Weiss, a political activist who is running in an increasingly nasty contest against state Sen. Dave Min. The pair are fighting to replace Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.), who is running for the Senate. United Democracy Project, the super PAC arm of AIPAC, is already dropping $500,000 on TV ads in the district to support Weiss.
In Oregon, DMFI is supporting state Rep. Janelle Bynum over Jamie McLeod-Skinner, the Democratic contender who lost by two points to now-Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer (R-Ore.) in 2022. Bynum’s already locked down support from other major Democratic groups, like EMILY’s List. But McLeod-Skinner outraised Bynum in the last fundraising quarter, according Federal Elections Commission filings.
And in Virginia, DMFI is jumping into a crowded primary, where more than a dozen Democrats who are vying to replace Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Va.), who is retiring due to her diagnosis with a chronic health condition. The group is backing former Virginia state House Speaker Eileen Filler-Corn. Other top candidates there include state Dels. Dan Helmer and Suhas Subramanyam, state Sen. Jennifer Boysko, and former Department of Defense official Krystle Kaul.
The other House candidates who picked up DMFI’s endorsement include Luz Rivas, a California state assemblywoman running to replace retiring Rep. Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.); Will Rollins, a California assemblyman who is challenging Rep. Ken Calvert (R-Calif.); Monica Tranel, a former Olympian who is running against Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-Mont.); Michelle Vallejo, a businesswoman who’s challenging Rep. Monica de la Cruz (R-Texas); Nebraska state Sen. Tony Vargas, who is running against Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.); and Adam Frisch, who ran against Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) in 2022 and is now running for the open seat, after Boebert moved districts.
“With the future of our democracy at stake, it’s imperative that Democrats take back control of the House of Representatives, and we’re thrilled to support this slate of public servants who will be pivotal in that effort,” DMFI PAC president Mark Mellman said in a statement.