Pritzker tries to put past donations to AIPAC behind him

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is dodging questions about his past donations to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), a lobbying group that has come under heavy criticism from many liberal Democrats. Why it matters: Pritzker is among several likely Democratic presidential candidates who've distanced themselves from AIPAC as the group has become a U.S. political surrogate for support of Israel's actions in Gaza.

They include Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego, California Gov. Gavin Newsom and former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Driving the news: Pritzker and aides have said publicly in recent weeks that he previously supported AIPAC, but Pritzker's team declined to tell Axios how much he gave to the group.

The Pritzker Family Foundation also donated to AIPAC-affiliated and pro-Israel organizations when Pritzker was president and director of the charity. The foundation gave $82,000 to Friends of the Israel Defense Forces from 2005 to 2010, per tax filings reviewed by Axios. From 2008 to 2016, the foundation contributed about $1.7 million to the American Israel Education Foundation, an AIPAC-affiliated charitable group that supports trips to Israel for members of Congress. The foundation gave to the group until at least 2020, but Pritzker's team told Axios he stepped away from the foundation in 2017.

Now Pritzker, who is Jewish, is attacking AIPAC.

He told the New York Times' Lulu Garcia-Navarro this month that he abandoned AIPAC more than a decade ago when it "began to lean much more to the right and much more pro-Trump." He said it was more bipartisan when he was involved. Pritzker later told the Associated Press that AIPAC, whose allied groups spent more than $21 million on last week's primaries in Illinois, has lost its way. Pritzker has tried to walk a fine line — breaking with AIPAC over its affiliation with Trump rather than Israeli actions — and focusing most of his criticism on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rather than on the country itself.

By the numbers: Public surveys indicate that Democratic voters have soured on Israel in recent years amid its war in Gaza and broader regional conflicts.

A recent NBC poll found that 57% of Democratic voters view Israel negatively.

What they're saying: Pritzker spokesperson Alex Gough reiterated to us that Pritzker "withdrew his support" from AIPAC when it "became a pro-Trump organization."

Patrick Dorton, a spokesperson for AIPAC's super PAC, told Axios the group is "extremely bipartisan" with "millions of pro-Israel Democratic members," and that it aims to support a strong U.S.-Israel alliance. In races in which AIPAC has polled voters, he added, Israel ranks low among Democratic primary concerns.

The intrigue: AIPAC has become a dirty word within the Democratic Party's left wing, but it might not be as politically toxic in Democratic primaries as some candidates think.

Candidates backed by the group went 2 for 4 in Democratic congressional contests last week in Illinois — not a total win but not a wipeout, either.