The American Israel Public Affairs Committee announced Wednesday that it will no longer endorse candidates or make direct PAC contributions. However, it will keep its super PAC running.
Instead, the committee will organize members to donate directly to the candidates it favors, according to JNS.
AIPAC said it would no longer raise money that it then forwards to candidate campaign committees. Its website won’t have a list of endorsed candidates that supporters can click on to make contributions.
That means candidates won’t have to denote specific donations as being raised for them by AIPAC.
Instead, AIPAC will organize its members to give directly to favored candidates rather than act as a conduit for contributions.
“The focus is on our members,” Sousa told JNS.
In addition, many lawmakers have sworn off special interest PAC contributions from all sources, so AIPAC will share its PAC funds with other political organizations rather than candidates.
AIPAC spokeswoman Daryn Sousa told JNS that the organization’s objective “is to build support for the U.S.-Israel relationship” and that “AIPAC members gave more than $90 million directly to candidates this cycle, and that organized, direct giving from our members will continue and increase.”
In a letter to members, AIPAC’s leadership discussed the change. "To win the fight for the future of the country and the U.S.-Israel alliance, we must build a more strategic, consequential and nimble political operation," the letter read. "Endorsements, direct PAC contributions and earmarking will no longer be part of our approach, so we can expand individual giving and utilize new tools to help our friends win."
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BREAKING: AIPAC is ending direct campaign contributions and candidate endorsements through its PAC, marking a major shift in its U.S. election strategy.
— The General (@GeneralMCNews) October 22, 2026
The letter also celebrated helping 290 pro-Israel candidates win their races while defeating 29 anti-Israel candidates.
Still, there has been much focus on AIPAC, especially after Hamas’ October 7, 2023, surprise attack on Israel and the ensuing rise in antisemitism in the U.S. Several Democrat politicians stopped accepting money from the organization. Michigan Democrat Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed campaigned against the group.
"AIPAC announced on Wednesday that, after three cycles of direct political involvement through its political action committee AIPAC PAC, it will no longer issue endorsements or directly earmark contributions to candidates, but said it will remain involved in political organizing and fundraising in other ways, including with its influential super PAC."
— AIPAC Tracker (@TrackAIPAC) October 21, 2026
But not all of AIPAC’s criticism comes from the left. Several high-profile influencers and politicians on the right have criticized the organization's influence over the years. Most of these individuals are part of the “America First” movement, which eschews foreign aid to Israel and other countries.
This policy shift could make AIPAC’s influence harder to identify in campaign finance records because members’ donations won’t carry an AIPAC earmark. However, this won’t do much to ease the vitriol many have directed against the organization.
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