"The group largely disguised the millions it spent across four Illinois House races, funneling money through PACs with anodyne names like Elect Chicago Women and Chicago Progressive Partnership. The latter group targeted pro-Palestinian progressives by going after their leftist bona fides - essentially accusing them of being closet Republicans - and even, in one case, boosting a left-wing splinter candidate."
"Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller defeated former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. and progressive state Sen. Robert Peters in the state's 2nd congressional district. Miller was supported by nearly $4.5 million in ad spending from AIPAC-affiliated group Affordable Chicago Now, according to AdImpact."
"Elect Chicago Women spent $3.3 million in support of Bean while Chicago Progressive Partnership spent another $700,000 painting Ahmed as a wealthy ally of Elon Musk and fossil fuel interests. Bean was also supported by ads from Crypto and AI PACs, which - AIPAC's ads - portrayed the centrist ex-lawmaker as a progressive fighter and staunch foe of ICE."
AIPAC-affiliated organizations spent approximately $4.5 million supporting Cook County Commissioner Donna Miller in Illinois's 2nd congressional district, where she defeated progressive state Sen. Robert Peters and former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. In the 8th district, former Rep. Melissa Bean received $3.3 million from Elect Chicago Women and $700,000 from Chicago Progressive Partnership to defeat progressive rival Junaid Ahmed. These groups used obscurely-named PACs to disguise funding sources and employed attack ads portraying pro-Palestinian progressives as inauthentic leftists. This represents a significant reversal for AIPAC following recent electoral losses, including a special election defeat in New Jersey where their candidate lost to a pro-Palestinian progressive.
#aipac-political-spending #illinois-house-elections #pro-palestinian-progressives #dark-money-pacs #political-advertising
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