Candidates and Pro-Israel PACs: A Bumper Crop

By Tracy Rose

While the drought continues to play havoc with the nation's farm crops, it's a bumper year for a different sort of harvest. Congressional candidates have received more money from political action committees (PACs) during the current election cycle than ever before.

PACs have dramatically increased their donations to candidates from two years ago, according to a Federal Election Commission (FEC) study. The FEC report shows that the 4,500 registered PACs have given $56.4 million to candidates up for election this fall, marking a 34 percent increase from the same period two years ago.

And from preliminary results, it appears that congressional candidates who receive money from pro-Israel PACs—whose aim is to spread pro-Israel influence throughout Congress—will see a particularly good yield. In the 1986 election cycle, those PACs pumped more than $2 million into the November general election; in the current election cycle, which runs from January 1987 to December 1988, 51 PACs had already donated $1,823,335 to congressional candidates as of April 15.

PACs follow patterns in determining who gets money. They generally donate more heavily to incumbents than challengers, and pro-Israel PACs follow this policy as well. However, the high ratio of giving to incumbents may be slightly misleading at this stage because many challengers are not chosen until spring primaries, while PACs have the opportunity to donate to incumbents all year. In general, more Democrats receive contributions than Republicans. So far this cycle, Republicans have garnered $466,900 from pro-Israel PACs, while Democrats have accumulated $1,356,435.

In addition, PACs are more likely to give money to Senate challengers than to House challengers because new senators are considered more influential than freshmen representatives. Candidates running for House seats received $516,100; Senate hopefuls received $1,307,235.

Key Committees and Voting Records

Pro-Israel PACs donate heavily to congressmen who sit on influential committees and have a record of pro-Israel voting. Key committees include: Appropriations, Intelligence, Armed Services, Senate Foreign Relations, and House Foreign Affairs. Important subcommittees are those in the Senate on defense and foreign operations, and those in the House on foreign Operations and Europe and the Middle East.

One candidate with a nearly 100 percent pro-Israel rating (except for missing a vote on foreign aid) since entering the Senate is Republican Pete Wilson of California, who faces California Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy in November. The American-Israel Public Affairs Committee's (AIPAC) booklet on the upcoming election notes that Wilson "has made considerable inroads with traditional Democratic fund-raising communities" and, to further drive home the point, the AIPAC booklet adds that "California's expensive media markets call for a massive fund-raising effort." So far Wilson has received $34,750, while McCarthy has been given only $8,500.

The California rating follows the maxim that if an incumbent has established a pro-Israel record, the pro-Israel PACs will generally support him, even if the challenger has equally impeccable credentials on issues concerning Israel. Wilson, a former San Diego mayor, was persuaded by heavy financing from the Israel lobby to run in the Republican primary election in 1982 to knock former Rep. Paul N. (Pete) McClosky, known for his forthright criticism of Israel, out of the senatorial race.

Top-Funded Races

Being Jewish does not guarantee a candidate support from pro-Israel PACs. Of three Jewish senators up for re-election this year, Sens. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH) received heavy support from pro-Israel PACs, while Sen. Chic Hecht (R-NV) got the cold shoulder, receiving only $6,500. Hecht is being punished for going against the Israel lobby by supporting a 1983 bill to provide arms to Jordan, a 1986 vote making possible an arms sale to Saudi Arabia, and for opposing a bill that would have allowed Jews in the US military to wear skullcaps. Meanwhile, his Democratic opponent, Nevada Gov. Richard Bryan, has received $34,000.

Metzenbaum, who received the most money from pro-Israel PACs—$142,535—is opposed by Cleveland Republican Mayor George Voinovich. Lautenberg, who received $102,750, the third highest total, is opposed by Republican Pete Dawkins, who is campaigning hard for Jewish votes but, like Voinovich, had not received any donations from major pro-Israel PACs as of April 15.

In other top-funded races, Sen. David Durenberger (R-MN) faces Hubert "Skip" Humphrey III, a Democrat. Durenberger received $92,500 from pro-Israel PACs, while Humphrey received just $2,500. In Rhode Island, Lt. Gov. Richard Licht, a Democrat and longtime fund-raiser for the United Jewish Appeal, collected $127,000, the second largest total from pro-Israel PACs. He is trying to unseat Sen. John Chafee

Senators in the Money

Other senators who received top donations from pro-Israel PACs include: Lowell P. Weicker, Jr. (R-CT), $71,500; George J. Mitchell (D-ME), $69,500; James R. Sasser (D-TN), $70,000; and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), $87,250. In the House, top recipients include: Samuel Geidenson (D-CT), $16,500; Lawrence J. Smith (D-FL), $22,400; Alphonso M. Espy (D-MS), $14,750; and Wayne Owens (D-UT), $14,750.

On a final note, Lloyd Bentsen, the Democratic senator from Texas whom presidential candidate Michael Dukakis has chosen as his running mate, has received $6,000 from pro-Israel PACs so far this year.

Turn to our chart which begins on the next page to find out which candidates from your state are receiving the most money from the pro-Israel

Tracy Rose is a staff writer for the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.