American Priorities is an American pro-Palestine super PAC.[3] The group was founded in 2026 with the goal of countering the influence of the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC and supporting pro-Palestine candidates for Congress.[2] The organization planned to spend over $10 million to support its preferred candidates during the 2026 election cycle.[4]
| Formation | February 12, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Type | Super PAC |
| Registration no. | C00932723 |
| Headquarters | Wilmington, Delaware[1] |
Region served | United States |
| Leader | Hannah Fertig[2] |
Treasurer | Mark Hanna[3] |
| Revenue | $3.85 million USD (January to March 2026) |
| Website | www |
History and activities
American Priorities filed a statement of organization with the Federal Election Commission on February 12, 2026.[1][3] The PAC pledged to spend over $10 million during the 2026 midterms.[2] The PAC aims to counter the influence of AIPAC, a major pro-Israel lobbying group, and to make it safer for candidates to criticize Israel without fear of an AIPAC-backed challenger.[2] Hannah Fertig, the founder of the group, stated that the group's goal was "to make sure that someone's there to protect candidates who question these [pro-Israel] policies."[5]
2026 election cycle
The first races the PAC involved itself in were two Democratic primaries for seats in the United States House of Representatives.[6] One, in North Carolina, was a primary between incumbent representative Valerie Foushee, who had previously received support from AIPAC (although she disavowed AIPAC in 2025), and challenger Nida Allam.[4] The PAC spent about $1 million in support of Allam, who went on to lose to the incumbent by less than 1% in the election in her district.[2] The other was the open primary for Texas's 30th congressional district, which was vacated by Jasmine Crockett, who was running in the 2026 Senate election in Texas.[3] American Priorities spent $100,000 in support of Frederick Haynes III, who won his primary without any major opposition.[2]
The PAC considered spending in support of pro-Palestine candidates in Illinois house races, but opted not to.[4][2] Some candidates that American Priorities could have supported, like Junaid Ahmed in Illinois's 8th congressional district, lost their primaries.[2] This led to criticism from pro-Palestine journalist Ryan Grim, who said that spending from the deep-pocketed group could have led to Ahmed (who lost to Melissa Bean, an AIPAC-backed candidate) winning the primary.[2]
The PAC decided to spend around $2 million supporting Democrat Adam Hamawy in his primary campaign to win New Jersey's 12th congressional district, an open and heavily Democratic seat.[7][8] The spending included $600,000 to air an ad highlighting Hamawy's time as a doctor during the Iraq War and Gaza War.[7] Hamawy was also endorsed by other progressive organizations, including Justice Democrats, which had at one point donated to American Priorities.[9][10] Hamawy outraised his opponents and won the Democratic primary to succeed the retiring representative, Bonnie Watson Coleman.[8][11] The New Jersey Globe credited the spending from American Priorities with raising Hamawy's profile and establishing him as the frontrunner in the race.[12]
American Priorities spent over $400,000 supporting the campaign of Chris Rabb in Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district.[13] Rabb won the primary by over 10% over his closest rival.[13]
In California, the group spent heavily in support of progressive Democrat Randy Villegas in his campaign to take on incumbent Republican representative David Valadao.[14][15] Villegas was opposed in the nonpartisan primary by moderate Democrat Jasmeet Bains, who received support from the lobbying group Democratic Majority for Israel.[14] Villegas won second place in the primary as Valadao placed first, earning a spot in the November general election and defeating Bains, who placed third.[15]
In June, the group devoted $2 million to support a trio of Democratic candidates running in House of Representatives elections in New York. Primaries in New York were less than a month away.[16] The New York candidates the group supported were Brad Lander, who was mounting a primary challenge against incumbent representative Dan Goldman in the election in district 10; Darializa Avila Chevalier, who was mounting a primary challenge against incumbent representative Adriano Espaillat in the election in district 13; and Claire Valdez, running in the election in district 7, a seat which was open following the retirement of incumbent representative Nydia Velázquez.[16] Goldman and Espaillat were both endorsed by AIPAC.[16]
Leadership
American Priorities is led by Hannah Fertig, a political strategist. Fertig previously worked on the Bernie Sanders 2020 presidential campaign and for the progressive organization Justice Democrats.[2][4] The treasurer of the group is Mark Hanna, a district leader in the Brooklyn Democratic Party who had previously supported the mayoral campaign of Zohran Mamdani and served on the board of Yalla Brooklyn, another progressive organization.[3][10]
Fundraising
American Priorities has raised significantly more money than other comparable pro-Palestine lobbying groups, like PAL PAC and Citizens Against AIPAC Corruption.[2] Jewish Insider reported that the group's donors included former AppLovin executives, the founder of Outschool, and other wealthy businesspeople who generally made their money in the technology sector.[10][8] Many donors to American Priorities had previously financially supported Zohran Mamdani.[10] The progressive organization Justice Democrats also donated to the PAC.[10] American Priorities planned to spend over $10 million during the 2026 election cycle.[3]
References
- 1 2 "AMERICAN PRIORITIES (AP)". Federal Election Commission.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Strauss, Joseph (March 25, 2026). "These pro-Palestinian PACs are trying to beat AIPAC at its own game". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Wimbish, Whitney Curry (February 20, 2026). "Pro-Palestine Super PAC Brings Multimillion-Dollar War Chest to Midterms". The American Prospect. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 Kamisar, Ben (February 20, 2026). "New super PAC launches to counter AIPAC spending in Democratic primaries". NBC News. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
- ↑ Weigel, David (March 11, 2026). "The anti-AIPAC PAC talks about its 2026 strategy". Semafor. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
- ↑ Lapin, Andrew (March 2, 2026). "Iran, Israel and Hitler's gun are all on the ballot in key primaries in Texas and NC on Tuesday". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
- 1 2 Fox, Joey (April 24, 2026). "Pro-Palestine super PAC plans to spend $2 million supporting Hamawy". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
- 1 2 3 Kane, Alex (May 14, 2026). "A Test Run for the Anti-AIPAC Super PAC". Jewish Currents. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ Wimbish, Whitney Curry (April 30, 2026). "Pro-Palestine Super PAC Spending $2 Million to Back Doctor in NJ-12". The American Prospect. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 Bredderman, Will (March 3, 2026). "Mamdani allies, deep-pocketed donors mobilize millions for anti-AIPAC effort". Jewish Insider. Retrieved April 24, 2026.
- ↑ Tully, Tracy; Wilson, Davaughnia (June 2, 2026). "Adam Hamawy, a Progressive Democrat, Wins House Primary in New Jersey". The New York Times. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- ↑ Fox, Joey (May 11, 2026). "After super PAC's ad blitz, Hamawy internal poll puts him in the lead". New Jersey Globe. Retrieved June 2, 2026.
- 1 2 Strauss, Joseph (May 19, 2026). "With AOC backing and anti-Israel message, Chris Rabb wins primary in Philadelphia". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Retrieved May 19, 2026.
- 1 2 Dayen, David (June 2, 2026). "Your June 2 Primary Election Guide". The American Prospect. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
- 1 2 Kassel, Matthew (June 9, 2026). "Anti-Israel Democrat Villegas declares victory in California House primary". Jewish Insider. Retrieved June 10, 2026.
- 1 2 3 King, Maya; Fandos, Nicholas (June 2, 2026). "Group Pledges $2 Million to Fight AIPAC in House Races". The New York Times. Retrieved June 3, 2026.