U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said he plans to stop accepting most political action committee donations, a move that would cut off support from pro-Israel fundraising groups that have been among his significant sources of campaign funding.
Booker told JNS at the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday that he is swearing off contributions from “single-issue ideological PACs.”
“I believe that there’s a problem of money in our politics,” Booker said. “We have said very clearly 10 years ago, when I gave up taking corporate PAC money.”
He said the decision was not aimed at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, whose political donations have drawn growing scrutiny in Democratic primaries amid criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Booker has largely supported Israel during his Senate tenure, though he backed former U.S. President Barack Obama’s 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran despite opposition from Netanyahu and AIPAC.
In New Jersey this year, AIPAC-affiliated super PAC United Democracy Project spent roughly $2.3 million on television ads and other efforts opposing former Democratic Rep. Tom Malinowski in a crowded Democratic primary for the state’s 11th Congressional District.
Malinowski—who had a largely pro-Israel voting record but supported conditioning some U.S. aid—ultimately lost to progressive activist Analilia Mejia, who has accused Israel of genocide in Gaza.
“The problem is money and politics,” Booker told JNS. “And I think I want to lead by example.”
Another prominent pro-Israel group, NorPAC, has ranked among the top donors to Booker’s Senate and leadership PAC committees, according to the campaign-finance tracker OpenSecrets.
During his 2020 reelection campaign, Booker ranked ninth among U.S. senators in contributions from pro-Israel donors, receiving roughly $288,000 from such sources, according to OpenSecrets data.
When he first ran for the Senate, Booker was also among the top recipients of pro-Israel political donations nationwide, raising substantial support during both the 2013 special election and the 2014 general election.
