Update: Track AIPAC shared with L.A. TACO that Jimmy Gomez's campaign has accepted over $2.5 million from Israel lobbying groups as of November 24.
As 2026 quickly nears, local and state elections will take center stage. All races are drawing significant attention amid a broader fight over money, power, influence, and who represents Los Angeles and California in politics.
For the first time in U.S. history, political candidates are required to take a stance on the Gaza genocide at the hands of the Israeli government. Constituents understand that this involves full political, economic, and financial support from the U.S. government.
Voters want to know whether candidates are accepting campaign contributions from pro-Israel groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), J Street, and Christians United for Israel (CUFI).
Campaign finance disclosures also reveal contributions funneled through lobbyists and entities linked to pro-Israel investments, which raise eyebrows among local voters who feel their representative doesn’t care about their local issues and would rather accept money from a colonial outpost.
On one side, we have candidates backed by wealthy donors and super PACs — on the other, we have candidates running grassroots campaigns.
Zionism On The Ballot
In 2026, voters will have the opportunity to select their next representative for California's 34th Congressional District. The area includes parts of Northeast L.A. such as Chinatown, Boyle Heights, Cypress Park, DTLA, Eagle Rock, El Sereno, Highland Park, Little Tokyo, Lincoln Heights, Montecito Heights, and more. It is also often called the “heart of L.A.”
The options are incumbent Jimmy Gomez or one of the following candidates: Arthur Dixon, a Democratic Socialist running as a Democrat; David Ferrell (D); Angela Gonzales-Torres (D); Robert Lucero (D); and Loren Colin (no party affiliation).
The incumbent, Jimmy Gomez, is well-connected in Washington and receives substantial funding from super PACs and wealthy donors, including some from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), an Israeli lobbying group in the U.S.
Gomez, who has been in politics since 2012, has already reported receiving $46,839.07 from AIPAC and a total of $332,646.92 from various wealthy donors and companies for his 2026 campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
Since taking office, Gomez has accepted $2,697,740 from AIPAC, according to AIPAC Tracker, a grassroots effort to expose politicians accepting money from foreign governments.
“Jimmy isn’t voting based on the needs of this district, he’s voting based on the demands of AIPAC and his corporate donors,” said candidate Arthur Dixon in a statement to L.A. TACO.
“By taking millions from AIPAC, the crypto lobby, and corporate PACs, and then refusing to sign a letter supporting infant formula reaching Gaza, or onto a bill calling for an arms embargo but voting to enable Trump’s crypto corruption, he has shown us exactly who he serves: not the people of Los Angeles, but the corporate and billionaire interests that bankroll him,” Gonzales-Torrs said in an interview with L.A. TACO.
When L.A. Taco reached out to Gomez's office, they stated, “Official congressional offices cannot engage in campaign activity or comment on campaign fundraising, campaign strategy, or campaign contributions.”
L.A. Taco has not heard back from the Gomez campaign office as of this writing.
Another key election on the ballot is for Superintendent of Public Instruction, with three candidates running for the next seat. You have Nichelle Henderson (D) and Andra Hoffman, who is an independent with no party affiliation. Hoffman has taken to social media to show her support for Israel, but she has not yet spoken out about the realities Palestinians are facing in Gaza.
The third candidate is Frank Lara, running under the Peace and Freedom Party, which is known for supporting the Palestinian cause in California. In addition, Lara has a long history of organizing for Palestine in San Francisco.
This election is crucial because education in California has gained significant attention in recent years as ethnic studies face challenges and attacks from pro-Israel lobby groups. From suing Chicana educators for teaching Arab and Palestinian history to school districts being challenged over including the history of Palestine, the next appointee will encounter increasing pressure from pro-Israel groups and must decide whether the truth will be included in the curriculum or excluded from it.
Another decision Angelenos will face is voting for the next governor of the state. As always, the ballot choices for the next governor are filled with career politicians, including Antonio Villaraigosa, Xavier Becerra, and Katie Porter, along with four other candidates. The Republicans are nominating Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco and former Fox News host Steve Hilton. Each candidate has taken to social media to show support for Israel.
There are two strong third-party candidates on the ballot, Butch Ware with the Green Party and Ramsey Robinson with the Peace and Freedom Party. Neither of these candidates accepts money from any pro-Israel lobby groups and both have a history of supporting the Palestinian cause.
Gubernatorial candidates’ stances on Palestine will be one of the key issues in the upcoming months of the election cycle. Currently, California Governor Gavin Newsom is facing a free speech lawsuit. On November 3, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) filed a federal civil rights lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California (San Jose) on behalf of California public school teachers and parents, according to their press release.
The ADC states that Assembly Bill 715 (AB715) is not specific in its definition of “antisemitism.” The bill conflates “criticism of the State of Israel and of Zionism with antisemitism–for example, by deeming it “antisemitic to question Jewish people’s right to a majority state in a region inhabited by an equal number of Palestinians,” the statement adds.
For future debates, each gubernatorial candidate would need to clearly state their position on school curriculum and how Palestine's history is taught, while also addressing the pressure from pro-Israel lobby groups.
Pro-Israel lobby groups and local elections
AIPAC, J Street, and CUFI are rooted in the Zionist movement in the U.S. that lobbies for the Israeli government in an attempt to manage any political fallout. For many years, AIPAC’s influence went largely unchallenged in Washington and in local elections.
Still, since October 8th, 2023, as we’ve witnessed a livestream genocide taking place in Gaza at the hands of the Israeli government, with complete financial, diplomatic, and economic support from the U.S., that influence is falling apart right in front of us.
In recent weeks, we have witnessed the victory in the New York City mayoral race of Zohran Mamdani, a self-described Democratic Socialist, who ran his campaign without any funding from pro-Israel lobby groups.
AIPAC, J Street, and CUFI have faced increasing criticism from both the left and the right. Under President Joe Biden, voters believed his administration should have been tougher on Israel due to the genocide in Gaza. In North Carolina, Democratic Representative Valerie Foushee announced that she will no longer accept AIPAC money, despite accepting contributions from AIPAC during her 2022 election run.
“AIPAC is spending hundreds of millions of dollars against our candidates because they cannot rely on connecting with working-class people on daily issues,” said Usamah Andradi, Spokesperson at Justice Democrats, in an interview with LA TACO.
“There are candidates who are in office because of AIPAC money and endorsements, and now cannot continue to accept AIPAC support publicly, and that is because of the genocide. They know that their districts largely do not support how the Israeli government is treating Palestinians,” Andradi added.
AIPAC is becoming an increasingly toxic brand for both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill, and just behind it is J Street, another pro-Israel lobby group in the U.S. that labels itself as “liberal Zionist.”
This turn of events did not happen overnight– it is the result of decades-long efforts by the Palestinian people, the resistance, and those in the U.S. who have long supported a free Palestine and have been organizing around their cause.
There is a new litmus test for politicians running for office; one that demands they rebuke Israel’s actions over the last two years and adopt a more even-handed policy that calls for an arms embargo and end to the occupation.
In 2026, Angelenos will have the opportunity to vote to demonstrate their ongoing support and solidarity for the Palestinian people, and humanity as a whole, by voting for someone who is not afraid to call for an end to the occupation and a free Palestine.
