Texas Democrat James Talarico won his Senate race after vowing to end US funding for Israeli offensive weaponry and to keep his distance from AIPAC, AFP reported, in another sign that backing from the pro-“Israel” lobby has turned from an asset into a liability in the US midterms.

Talarico said early in his campaign, “I’ve never taken money from AIPAC,” and promised to accept none during the race. His win came alongside Abdul El-Sayed’s victory in Michigan, who beat AIPAC-backed candidates in both the primary and the general election. Allies of his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, even reportedly asked the group at one point to stop spending on Rogers’ behalf.

Adam Wood, a veteran Democratic strategist with City & State Public Affairs, told AFP that AIPAC has “definitely” become a liability. Several campaigns he worked on in previous cycles, he noted, “coveted” its support.

Officially nonpartisan, AIPAC has traditionally backed candidates from both parties. AFP said the group has nonetheless become shorthand in US politics for Washington’s close ties with Israeli governments, including the outgoing far-right coalition of Benjamin Netanyahu. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has branded it “a right-wing organization that undermines democracy.”

Read more: Over 30 AIPAC-backed candidates lost US races: Politico

American favorability toward 'Israel' hits record low

The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, which has asked Americans to rate “Israel” on a 0 to 100 scale since 1978, recorded an average score of 44 this year. That is the lowest on record and down from 58 when the previous midterms were held in 2022. Among Democrats, favorability fell from 52 to 30.

“Democrats started to really tank on Israel,” said Dina Smeltz, a former State Department official who is now a managing director at the council. AFP linked the slide to "Israel's" genocidal war on Gaza and the high cost of the US war on Iran.

Doubts over the relationship have reached the political right as well. US President Donald Trump announced on Fox & Friends on election day that the US would end a major annual aid package to “Israel”, a step El-Sayed and others on the left have repeatedly demanded. Vice President JD Vance said a trusted pollster told him the Republican road back after the midterms requires, in part, changing “our relationship to Israel.”

Broadcaster Tucker Carlson and Representative Thomas Massie have also openly criticized “Israel” in recent years, something AFP said would have been unimaginable in the 2000s and 2010s.

Read more: The money behind the pro-'Israel' lobby in US elections, in charts

Rivals, uncertain outlook

AIPAC now faces competition from the left-leaning pro-“Israel” group J Street and the recently formed pro-Palestine super PAC American Priorities, which Politico reported backed 13 members of the incoming Democratic House majority.

AFP said the aftermath of the elections in “Israel”, including the possible political eclipse of Netanyahu, could help AIPAC regain its footing. Smeltz cautioned that the group has been around a long time and has plenty of money, so it is unlikely to disappear.

For now, AIPAC is defending its influence at a moment when voters in both parties are questioning the US-“Israel” relationship.