The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is leading outside spending in the 2026 US midterms, pouring millions into congressional races as growing voter resistance to pro-Israel lobbying collides with Israel’s deep political, technological, and strategic ties to the US.
Israel’s relationship with the US extends beyond diplomacy and military cooperation, as political groups seek to influence congressional races. Israeli companies and research teams have also become embedded in major US technology businesses, strengthening a wider relationship built on policy, capital, and innovation.
AIPAC Spending Meets Voter Resistance
AIPAC has spent tens of millions of dollars during the 2026 election cycle through its main election-spending vehicle, the United Democracy Project (UDP).
According to campaign finance monitor OpenSecrets, UDP has spent $54 million on congressional races, making it the largest outside spender of the cycle. The wider pro-Israel donor network has spent $71 million, placing it behind only the cryptocurrency industry.
Much of AIPAC’s spending has focused on Democratic primaries, where it has supported candidates strongly aligned with Israel and opposed critics of unconditional US military aid.
The strategy has produced victories, but record spending has not guaranteed success. In Michigan, AIPAC and allied organizations reportedly spent around $30 million in an unsuccessful effort to stop progressive former health official Abdul El-Sayed from winning the Democratic Senate nomination against Congresswoman Haley Stevens.
Progressive candidates have also defeated AIPAC-backed opponents in California, Illinois, and New York, sometimes using the organization’s financial involvement as a campaign issue.
“This is a special interest that participates outside of the partisan framework, and it’s really all about advancing the interests of a foreign country,” Quincy Institute analyst, Eli Clifton, told AFP.
The resistance reflects changing US public opinion. A June Quinnipiac University poll found that 48% of American voters believed Washington was too supportive of Israel, including 66% of Democrats.
Criticism has also moved beyond the Democratic left. Some “America First” conservatives have questioned US support for Israel and argued that pro-Israel lobbying risks pulling Washington deeper into overseas conflicts.
Political Influence Meets Technology Ties
AIPAC’s political influence exists alongside another layer of US-Israel interdependence: technology.
Israeli research and development teams contribute to areas including semiconductors, communications, cybersecurity, sensing, and AI. Major US technology companies including Apple, Nvidia, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Meta operate research centers in Israel or have acquired Israeli companies.
The iPhone 17e illustrates that relationship. Israeli media reported that Apple’s teams in Israel contributed to technology associated with the C1X cellular modem used in the device. Apple has not publicly detailed which engineering teams developed the modem.
“A piece of Israel,” said Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, when describing smartphones and Israel’s technology presence.
Apple’s relationship with Israel includes acquisitions such as Anobit, PrimeSense, LinX Imaging, Q.ai, and RealFace, which expanded its capabilities in storage, three-dimensional sensing, imaging, and facial recognition.
The wider Israeli technology sector employed around 400,000 people in 2025 and contributed 18.3% of gross domestic product (GDP), according to the supporting article. Technology exports reached around $85 billion, representing 58% of total exports.
Other US technology companies have deepened their presence through major acquisitions. Nvidia bought Mellanox for about $7 billion in 2020, while Alphabet acquired Israeli cloud-security company Wiz for $32 billion in 2025.
Together, these political and technology links show why debates over Israel’s role in the US extend beyond foreign policy. AIPAC remains financially powerful, but voter resistance suggests that influence can increasingly become a political liability even as broader US-Israel strategic ties continue to deepen.
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