PONTIAC, Mich. – The American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s grand experiment venturing into the campaign space via a political action committee will face its biggest test next week, when Reps. Andy Levin and Haley Stevens will face off in the Democratic congressional primary for Michigan’s 11th district.
This rare incumbent-on-incumbent battle was created by Michigan's redrawing of its congressional districts, which forced the two sitting Democrats to compete in the same district north of Detroit. In the past nine months, AIPAC’s United Democracy Project super PAC has spent nearly $3.9 million bolstering Stevens and $342,000 attacking Levin over his views regarding Israel.
Levin is an outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights and the two-state solution, but as part of this race, has been described as an anti-Israeli politician looking to alter the U.S.-Israel alliance, accusations that he strongly denies.
The highly contentious race has become a referendum on the internal American-Jewish conversation on Israel, how the Democratic Party handles debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the spending power of pro-Israel groups aimed at swaying elections.
Levin, 61, was first elected in 2018 and comes from a Michigan political dynasty. The former synagogue president was elected to replace his father, Rep. Sander Levin, who retired after a 36-year career that left him the longest tenured Jew in the House of Representatives. His uncle, Sen. Carl Levin, also represented Michigan for decades before retiring in 2015.
He has spoken at length about how his Jewish heritage informs his dedication to fighting for social justice – even if it means vocally criticizing Israeli policy – and has allied himself with fellow progressive lawmakers, including those notoriously critical of Israel.
Stevens, 39, was also first elected in 2018 following a career working on Democratic presidential campaigns and helping steer the Obama administration’s efforts to bailout the auto industry following the 2008 recession.
Stevens has been a flag-bearing member of the Democratic caucus since her election, serving as co-president of the House Democratic Freshman Class and voting in total lockstep with the Biden administration (as has Levin).
Levin and Stevens, both well respected and widely popular among Democratic constituents prior to this race, share many policy views and hold nearly identical voting records. Stevens has attempted to downplay any perceived ideological gaps, while Levin highlights their differences on minimum wage, climate change and prescription drug price reforms.
Levin, for example, stresses his support for progressive proposals such as Medicare for All and the Green New Deal, whereas Stevens highlights her involvement in more pragmatic policy measures such as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement. They most notably diverge, however, when it comes to Israel.
Stevens has been an AIPAC favorite since entering office, centering her Israel policy on bolstering Israel’s defense capabilities. She has also expressed skepticism about Iran nuclear diplomatic efforts while saying the original 2015 deal “fell short in many ways.” Unlike Levin, she isn't Jewish, but both candidates enjoy support from segments of the Jewish community in the state.
Levin is the lead sponsor of the Two-State Solution Act, perhaps the most thorough piece of legislation to date aimed at detailing how the United States can help preserve and push for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians.
Pro-Israel groups, including AIPAC and the Democratic Majority for Israel, have centered their criticism of Levin around the bill, though his criticism of the groups for their attacks of progressive Democrats critical of Israel also plays a role in the confrontation.
AIPAC's most significant rival on the left, J Street , quickly and significantly lent its support to Levin, leading to narratives of the race evolving into an AIPAC vs. J Street proxy war.
Levin has lived in the new district for most of his life, while Stevens moved there nearly a year ago. Levin opted to run in the district instead of the redrawn 10th, which contains a significant chunk of his current constituents. His critics say he was motivated by fear of losing to a Republican, while his supporters say he has more of a claim to the district than Stevens.
Former AIPAC President Daniel Victor, a local Stevens supporter, in January urged fellow local donors to oppose Levin, calling him “arguably the most corrosive member of Congress to the U.S.-Israel relationship.”
“Andy frequently and one-sidedly criticizes Israel, defends and even fundraises for its worst detractors … and from his seat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee authors and supports highly problematic legislation,” Victor wrote to his fellow donors. “He does so as a Levin, a name which due to his uncle and father commands respect and admiration on Capitol Hill. To make matters worse, Andy sincerely claims to be a lifelong Zionist, proud Jew and defender of Israel. So when Andy Levin insists he’s pro-Israel, less engaged Democratic colleagues may take him at his word,” Victor added.
Levin has called Victor’s criticism “sad and kind of pathetic,” noting that Victor’s definition of pro-Israel strictly means “towing the AIPAC line.”
“I’m super pro-Israel, I just happen to believe that the only way to have a secure homeland for my people is to realize the political and human rights of the Palestinian people, as well. That has been the official U.S. position of every administration, save the Trump administration, for many decades,” Levin told Haaretz Weekend podcast last month.
Levin, for example, voted in favor of all legislation concerning aid to Israel, is an opponent of the BDS movement and voted to provide $1 billion in emergency funding for the Iron Dome missile defense system. Victor’s subsequent fundraiser for Stevens eventually netted her campaign $380,000, and she would call him her “guide” at an AIPAC event the next month.
Eleven current and former Jewish members of Congress backed Levin against the “shockingly unhelpful” and “out of bounds” attacks on Levin’s support for Israel, further decrying the “outrageous personal attacks for the sole, cynical aim of dividing the Jewish community.”
Following the fundraiser, AIPAC’s political action committee formally backed Stevens in its first wave of endorsements in March alongside 37 Republican lawmakers who voted against certifying the presidential election results.
During their first debate in April, Levin pushed Stevens to explain why she accepted the AIPAC-bundled donations despite their endorsement of so-called “election deniers.” Stevens, for her part, highlighted AIPAC’s endorsement of Democratic leadership and a sizable number of House Progressive Caucus members.
“This endorsement is solely about members of Congress supporting Israel, and I am proud to unequivocally support the Jewish state,” she said.
Shortly after the debate and a forum with both candidates, the Jewish Democratic Council of America endorsed Stevens despite its standing relationship with both candidates.
Much of the pro-Israel establishment, however, took a negative tack against Levin, including former Anti-Defamation League chief Abe Foxman, who accused Levin of “using his Jewishness and respected political family name for softness” on the U.S.-Israel relationship and combating antisemitism.
The campaign took an increasingly negative tone from this point, with Levin again hitting Stevens for accepting AIPAC-bundled donations and being “funded by special-interest groups that are supporting insurrectionist Republicans.”
Stevens, in turn, noted Levin had been “taking corporate PAC money his entire career” and only returning $55,000 in donations after “his hypocrisy was exposed.” Levin said he didn’t know about the funds in question until it was brought to his campaign’s attention, adding that it’s “not acceptable as a moral Jewish person to support people who are undermining our democracy.”
Around this time, AIPAC began targeting Levin’s record on Israel, falsely accusing his legislation of “placing the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter [of Jerusalem’s Old City] in occupied Palestinian territories.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, who upset Hillary Clinton in Michigan in the 2016 Democratic primary, endorsed Levin after the United Democracy Project made its first significant financial investment in the race.
“The right wing-funded super PAC run by AIPAC has found its newest progressive target. Once again, these extremists are pouring millions of dollars into a congressional race to try to ensure the Democratic Party advances the agenda of powerful corporations and the billionaire class,” Sanders said.
J Street, too, boosted its involvement, launching a $700,000 ad campaign attacking Stevens for accepting AIPAC funds, a significant portion of which originated from Republican donors. The ads did not mention Israel but said “no campaign cash is worth abandoning our democracy.”
AIPAC’s project, in turn, called the ad “despicable,” pointing to Stevens’ support for Trump’s impeachment, her 100-percent approval rating from Planned Parenthood, the NAACP and the AFL-CIO and Barack Obama’s praise of her work with the auto industry.
As this race heads into the final stretch, it has become a major test for AIPAC's political strategy and for the Democratic Party's direction on Israel. When the results come in on the night of August 2, more than just the fate of this specific congressional seat will be on the line.