Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate and Texas State Rep. and Democratic Senate candidate James Talarico.
Tony Gutierrez Juan Figueroa/AP/The Dallas Morning News
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has long had powerful allies within the state’s congressional delegation, especially its two U.S. senators.
“I came to the Senate committed to being the leading defender of Israel, and I’m proud to have the support of groups like AIPAC and the American-Jewish community who advocate on behalf of a close U.S.-Israel relationship,” U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz posted on X last year.
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But this election cycle, the influential pro-Israel lobbying group has run into a less welcoming slate of candidates, reflecting larger turns in public sentiment over Israel’s war with Hamas and the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
AIPAC has not backed a candidate in the high-stakes U.S. Senate battle since its close ally, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, lost the GOP primary. Democrat James Talarico has pledged not to take the committee’s money, and the Republican nominee, Attorney General Ken Paxton, has questioned the need to continue “sending billions to foreign countries and protecting the borders of other nations,” including Israel.
The group has similarly refrained from backing a candidate in the San Antonio-based race for Tony Gonzales’ former congressional seat. AIPAC’s United Democracy Project spent more than $1 million in 2024 to oppose the Republican currently in the race, Brandon Herrera, who has been accused of antisemitism and has made comments critical of Israel. His Democratic opponent Katy Padilla Stout has also declined to take money from AIPAC.
The tension comes as more voters from both parties are viewing the U.S-Israel relationship less favorably, pressuring elected officials to also become more critical of Israel’s government. AIPAC touts more than 6.5 million members and says it’s focused on helping elect pro-Israel candidates.
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AIPAC’s campaign arm allocated more than $1 million to Cornyn from January 2025 to May, according to FEC filings. The group did not reply to requests for comment on whether it plans to now back the attorney general.
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In the past, Paxton has called Israel the U.S.’s greatest ally and called for disciplinary actions last year against Plano ISD students who participated in “pro-Palestinian or anti-Israel walkouts.” But in his campaign, he has promised to “advance an America First foreign policy.”
When asked by the Washington Examiner what he would say to the growing segment on the right feeling “hostility” towards Israel, Paxton said the nation is a democracy and an ally. He said he believes the U.S. should work with all countries willing to be an ally.
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“Now does that mean that we fund everything they want to fund?” Paxton said. “It means that we should consider our view — the America First agenda first.”
Brendan Steinhauser, a Republican strategist, said he believes AIPAC will ultimately get behind Paxton, adding that the group’s support would be helpful in undecided voters who look to it for guidance. Steinhauser said AIPAC appears to be taking more behind-the-scenes roles in several races as public sentiment shifts.
Paxton’s comments are in line with many right-wing influencers. He has campaigned alongside Herrera and the attorney general had been criticized by Cornyn for his relationship with Tucker Carlson, who has become a strong critic of Israel.
“I still think that the overwhelming power in the Republican Party of Texas from the voters is very pro-Israel,” Steinhauser said.
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Talarico came out with his pledge last year and has also called for an end to offensive weapons sales to Israel under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has said he still supports Israel having defensive systems like the Iron Dome, citing the Hamas-led terror attacks on Oct. 7, 2023 that left over 1,200 people dead and some 250 Israelis taken hostage, spurring a years-long war and subsequent humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
“October 7th was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust — and Israel has the right to defend its people,” Talarico says on his campaign website. “But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not have the right to bomb civilians, restrict aid, or use forced famine and collective punishment as tactics.”
Despite the declared ceasefire, the Palestinian death toll from the war surpassed 73,000 last month, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
While he has shunned AIPAC, Talarico has still drawn interest from pro-Israel backers. A group that bills itself as “the Pro-Israel PAC with a domestic conscience,” the Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs, invited its contacts to a fundraiser for him north of Chicago this weekend. A campaign spokesperson said the event isn’t hosted by JACPAC and that the group hasn’t donated to Talarico’s campaign.
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The group’s executive director, Hollis Wein, said it plans to financially support Talarico — applauding his stance on reproductive healthcare for women.
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AIPAC is collecting donations for 19 incumbent candidates from Texas, while also donating to candidates not listed in that slate. Those listed on AIPAC’s donor portal include Republicans Keith Self of McKinney, Brandon Gill of Flower Mound and Democrats Henry Cuellar of Laredo and Lizzie Fletcher of Houston.
On that same donations page, the group recently stopped accepting donations for 15 House Democrats — none of them from Texas — who voted last week to cut off U.S. aid to Israel, further signaling the tension between AIPAC and congressmembers. Democratic U.S. Rep. Julie Johnson of Farmers Branch, who lost in the runoff in May, also voted for the amendment, and AIPAC removed language that thanked her “for her support for the U.S.-Israel relationship.”
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Democratic U.S. Rep. Christian Menefee of Houston was among the several Texas House members who voted to cut aid. AIPAC had previously congratulated Menefee’s defeat of U.S. Rep. Al Green, calling the longtime incumbent “one of the most outspoken anti-Israel voices in Congress.”
In the race for the vacant seat previously held by Gonzalez, Padilla Stout said AIPAC had contacted her and encouraged her to write a position paper in order to receive an endorsement from them. She refused, and said she has, instead, been working to reach out to the Jewish community and to individuals who are supportive of Israel.
“Everyone knows right now that AIPAC’s definitely a little controversial, and I’m not sure that they fully align with my values,” Padilla Stout said.