AIPAC draws ire of half of Michigan Democratic voters in new poll

About half of likely Michigan Democratic primary voters hold an unfavorable view of the pro-Israel group the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, according to a new statewide poll, but respondents overall didn’t rate a candidate’s position on Israel and Gaza as of great importance when choosing a Senate nominee.

“It is not of high interest, despite the national narrative,” pollster Richard Czuba said, referring to national news coverage of the Michigan U.S. Senate contest.

“As you ask voters to look across the spectrum about issues that matter to them, this isn’t one of them.”

More: Stevens gains edge in Dems’ Senate race that remains ‘wide open,’ poll finds

The Detroit News/WDIV-TV (Channel 4) poll of 500 likely Michigan Democratic primary voters was conducted last week by Czuba’s Glengariff Group and had a margin of error of plus-minus 4.4 percentage points.

A majority of respondents said antisemitism against Jewish Americans has risen, that they support both a Palestinian state and Israel’s right to exist, and believe Israel has “gone too far” in its war against the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah.

Overall, the likely Michigan Democratic primary voters rated a Senate candidate’s position on Israel and Gaza at 5.6 on a 10-point scale. Czuba said a measurement over 7 usually indicates some level of importance, while 8 is considered demonstrating a high level of importance.

Supporters of Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed of Ann Arbor rated the issue a 6, while those backing U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens of Birmingham rated it 5.2. Undecided voters in the survey were at 5.7.

“That’s not surprising to me at all,” said consultant Adrian Hemond, a Democrat and CEO of Grassroots Midwest.

“It’s hard to get Americans to care about foreign policy while American troops are not getting shot, and that’s not happening right now. That’s not to say they don’t care about it at all, but in terms of what influences their voting behavior? Nah.”

Half of Michigan Democrats sour on AIPAC

Israel and Gaza have been a point of contrast and contention between El-Sayed and Stevens: Stevens is a staunch supporter of Israel who has voted for U.S. military aid for that country, while El-Sayed has called Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide. He wants to end the U.S. practice of subsidizing foreign militaries, including Israel’s.

El-Sayed has also repeatedly hit Stevens on the $49 million of outside spending — including $26 million from an AIPAC-aligned group — that’s flowed into the race to help boost her bid, according to recent ad-tracking figures.

“Explain what you’ve given away for AIPAC support in this race,” El-Sayed demanded in last week’s televised debate in Grand Rapids.

“No one owns my vote, and no one owns my policies,” Stevens shot back.

More: Pro-Israel PAC uses ‘loophole’ to quietly fund Haley Stevens in Democratic U.S. Senate primary

In the debate last week, Stevens pointed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criticism of her and said Netanyahu had “failed” in securing long-term peace and in providing humanitarian aid in Gaza. The remark appeared to be an effort to put some distance between herself and the support she’s getting from AIPAC that has turned off some Democrats.

“I can say that Israel has a right to peacefully exist alongside the people of Palestine and in Gaza,” she said.

The poll conducted last week found that 49% of Democratic primary voters have an unfavorable opinion of AIPAC. About 12% view AIPAC favorably, and 39% were neutral ― with no opinion of the pro-Israel lobby group ― or said they didn’t know. About 34% of voters expressed a “very” unfavorable opinion of AIPAC.

About 65% of El-Sayed’s supporters expressed an unfavorable view of AIPAC, with 8% favorable and 26% neutral, while fewer Stevens’ voters, 38%, view AIPAC unfavorably and 16.5% favorably, with 45% neutral.

The group does not seem to be a motivating issue for undecided voters, 65% of whom were neutral on AIPAC, according to poll results.

“What this issue has become is virtue-signaling to the far left that you’re one of us,” Czuba said of AIPAC opposition.

Scott Cruz, 61, of South Lyon, said he learned about AIPAC about six months ago, but has been concerned for decades about the amount of money the U.S. gives to Israel. In more recent years, what started as Israel’s understandable response to the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas has advanced far beyond that, said Cruz, who participated in the poll.

“Just too nuts, man. Hatfields and McCoys, I don’t care,” Cruz said of the Israel-Gaza conflict. “They (Israel) had the moral high ground for a minute there and then said, ‘Let’s blow it.’”

Michelle Miller-Adams, a 66-year-old Kalamazoo resident and political scientist who also participated in the poll, said she considers herself a politically progressive Jew.

She said she understands the criticism of Israel’s leadership but is worried that opposition to Israel and AIPAC is mixing dangerously with an increase in antisemitism.

“I’m not a fan of AIPAC,” Miller-Adams said. “But I think AIPAC has been demonized among all the PACs and has been misrepresented. AIPAC gets singled out for criticism in a way that makes me very uncomfortable.”

Rebecca Cunningham, an 83-year-old Detroit resident, said she’s voting for Stevens because of her prior experience at the federal level. She’s aware of a debate over Israel and is concerned by the U.S. government’s actions there, but she doesn’t believe those concerns are the only factors in determining her vote.

“I’d have to look at the whole picture,” Cunningham said. “In my mind, I’m not really clear why we’re over there fighting. We have enough issues in the United States we could put our attention to.”

Alignment among Michigan Democrats on Mideast issues

The survey of Michigan Democrats showed they are largely in agreement on issues related to the Middle East, including 63% of whom support the creation of an independent Palestinian state in Gaza. Another 15% said they oppose a Palestinian state, while 22% said it would depend or they didn’t know.

Notably, 78% of El-Sayed supporters favor a Palestinian state with 13% unsure, compared with 51% of Stevens’ voters in support of an independent state with 26% unsure. Undecided voters fell between the two, with 61% for an independent state and 38.5% unsure.

A large majority of Democrats surveyed, nearly 77%, said Israel has a right to exist as a country, while 12% are opposed and 12% of voters were unsure or said it depends.

On this question, 67% of self-identified Democratic Socialists said they support Israel’s right to exist, while 30% are opposed, and 2% said they’re unsure or it depends. Nearly 21% of Democratic Socialists said they “strongly” oppose Israel’s right to exist.

El-Sayed, the son of Egyptian immigrants, pivoted last week when he was asked on CNN if Israel has a right to exist.

“The question about a right to exist is interesting, because nobody’s ever asked me whether I believe Palestine has a right to exist. Every single president who’s served has said they believe in a two-state solution,” El-Sayed said.

“Israel exists. The question is whether we want a politics where our money is sent over to Israel to fund genocide and apartheid instead of investing in our own kids.”

Nearly 70% of poll respondents said Israel’s actions against Hamas and Hezbollah have “gone too far.” About 3% said they’ve not gone far enough, and 13% said they’ve been about right, while 15% were unsure, according to the survey.

About 21% of Stevens’ supporters in the survey said Israel’s actions were about right, as opposed to 6% of El-Sayed voters and 2% of undecided voters.

About two in three likely Michigan Democratic voters said antisemitism against Jewish Americans has increased over the past two years, and 3% said it’s declined. Nearly 24% said the level of antisemitism has stayed the same, and 9% were unsure.

Younger voters (under 55 years old) disproportionately concluded that antisemitism has stayed the same or decreased, while higher numbers of older voters said antisemitism has grown, including 76% of respondents age 65 and older.

More Stevens supporters said that antisemitism has increased (71%) than backers of El-Sayed (57%).

mburke@detroitnews.com

eleblanc@detroitnews.com