AIPAC-backed Sarah Elfreth wins primary for open Maryland congressional seat

Sarah Elfreth, a state senator backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, won the crowded Democratic primary for an open congressional seat in Maryland on Tuesday — a major win for the pro-Israel group.

Elfreth defeated 21 other candidates, including former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn, in the race to replace retiring Rep. John Sarbanes in Maryland’s 3rd Congressional District. Dunn, a first-time candidate, was seen as a formidable contender because of his personal story defending the Capitol against the violent mob on Jan. 6, 2021 — which he relied on as part of a campaign message focused on protecting democracy, drawing millions of dollars from across the country.

Elfreth, however, was the beneficiary of more than $4 million in spending from United Democracy Project, a super PAC funded by AIPAC. It was one of UDP’s biggest investments to date, after the $5 million it spent in California trying unsuccessfully to block state Sen. Dave Min from securing the Democratic nomination to succeed Rep. Katie Porter.

AIPAC, which spent heavily in the 2022 cycle and is looking to up the ante this year, has so far injected millions in both Democratic and Republican primaries in hopes of getting more pro-Israel allies in Congress as the war between Israel and Hamas continues.

“Sarah Elfreth’s victory underscores that it is entirely consistent with progressive values to stand with the Jewish state,” AIPAC said in a statement.

The Democratic Party at large continues to struggle with how it responds to the war. But unlike some of the other races where AIPAC has inserted itself, Elfreth and Dunn did not have public disagreements about the conflict in the Middle East.

Dunn congratulated Elfreth on her victory and said it is “more important than ever to unite behind our shared vision for progress and justice.”

UDP initially focused on airing positive ads about Elfreth and didn’t specifically get in the Maryland race to block Dunn, who had vowed to be a supporter of Israel and Jewish people in a position paper he previously provided to AIPAC. But as Dunn took issue with AIPAC’s involvement, centering criticisms of the group’s Republican donors in his campaign message, it turned contentious. UDP slammed Dunn, saying he should be “ashamed of himself” for running attack ads against Elfreth.

Progressives in races across the country have sought to leverage an anti-AIPAC sentiment to neutralize attacks from the high-dollar group. It proved to be an effective tactic in races like Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee’s, in which she called out spending from “Republican-funded super PACs.” Dunn’s campaign utilized a similar strategy, but there was one big difference: AIPAC actually spent in his race, whereas it did not invest in Lee’s.

Dunn gained prominence after testifying before the Jan. 6 select committee with other officers about the attack and its lingering trauma and has been outspoken about the insurrection since. He leaned on that background during his campaign and raised millions of dollars more than Elfreth. But it wasn’t enough to overcome her campaign and UDP's support.

AIPAC has threatened to drop $100 million to support pro-Israel candidates this cycle. It hasn’t laid out its exact targets as the latter part of the primary calendar approaches, but has already indicated that it will play against progressive Reps. Jamaal Bowman (N.Y.) and Cori Bush (Mo.) by backing their primary challengers. UDP is also spending against Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), the rare Republican opposing Israel aid, and it successfully blocked former Rep. John Hostettler (R-Ind.) from making a return to Washington in last week’s Indiana primary.

Elfreth’s campaign mostly stayed out of the UDP-Dunn battle, and instead primarily focused on her achievements in the state legislature. She didn’t have the high-profile national support of Dunn — who was backed, for example, by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi — but in the leadup to the primary, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.), who formerly represented the district, stumped with her.

The district, which includes the state capital of Annapolis, is safely Democratic. Elfreth is expected to cruise to victory in the fall.