AIPAC has spent heavily backing Connie Chan in an apparent plot to block Chakrabarti from the general election.
In the final days before California’s June 2, 2026, top-two primary for the open 11th Congressional District in San Francisco, a surge of outside spending has thrust the race into national controversy. Pro-Israel groups linked to AIPAC have routed hundreds of thousands of dollars through a network of Super PACs to boost Supervisor Connie Chan, positioning her to edge out progressive challenger Saikat Chakrabarti for the second spot on the November ballot.
Federal campaign records show that AIPAC’s United Democracy Project (UDP) and its affiliated Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI) transferred approximately $287,750 to the EDW Action Fund in April. This included a $250,000 cash contribution from UDP and additional funds from DMFI. The EDW Action Fund, previously identified as a pass-through for pro-Israel spending, is affiliated with Pro-Choice Majority Action — a new PAC formed on May 1 that has poured $475,000 into advertising supporting Chan.
The money trail and timing
This circuitous funding has drawn sharp scrutiny. Drop Site News first detailed the transfers, noting how funds moved from established AIPAC-aligned entities through intermediaries before landing with the PAC backing Chan. While independent expenditures by Super PACs are legal and cannot be directly coordinated with candidates, the timing — just weeks before the primary — has fueled accusations of targeted intervention.
State Sen. Scott Wiener’s lead is collapsing, with Chan and Chakrabarti locked in a tight battle. The seat has been long-held by Nancy Pelosi, who has endorsed Chan as part of the effort to block Chakrabarti from the General Election.
Policy contrasts and motivations
The apparent motivation centers on foreign policy, particularly Israel. Chakrabarti, a co-founder of Justice Democrats and former chief of staff to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, has been vocal in calling for an immediate arms embargo on Israel and describing U.S. support as enabling actions he and allies characterize strongly. He has positioned himself as a leading critic of AIPAC influence.
Chan, while also progressive on many issues and critical of Israeli policy in Gaza (including past statements on accountability and aid), has not matched Chakrabarti’s hardline stance on cutting military assistance. She has pledged not to accept direct contributions from AIPAC or its representatives. Her campaign has distanced itself from the Super PAC spending, with spokespeople calling suggestions that she is aligned with AIPAC “absurd and laughable.”
Chan urged outside groups to respect her pledge.
Chakrabarti and his supporters, including progressive influencers, have framed the spending as a direct effort by AIPAC to eliminate one of its strongest critics. “AIPAC sees me as their biggest threat,” Chakrabarti posted, amplifying the story across social media.
Reactions and context
AIPAC has faced growing progressive opposition and has increasingly used affiliated PACs and intermediaries for spending as direct association becomes more politically toxic in some Democratic circles. This San Francisco race fits a broader pattern of heavy independent expenditures in contested primaries.
Critics of the narrative argue the links are indirect, Super PACs operate independently, and Chan’s record as a San Francisco supervisor shows progressive credentials on local issues. Some defenders note that multiple candidates in the race have complex donor profiles, and self-funding by the wealthy Chakrabarti (who has poured millions of his own money into the campaign) raises its own questions about influence.
As polls tighten and early voting concludes, the heavy late spending on Chan’s behalf has energized left-wing activists who view it as evidence of establishment and foreign policy lobby interference in a local race. Whether the strategy succeeds in blocking Chakrabarti will be clear after polls close on June 2.
Understanding California’s Jungle Primary System
California employs a unique “jungle primary,” formally known as the top-two primary system, which was established by voter-approved Proposition 14 in 2010 and first used in 2012. Unlike traditional partisan primaries used in most states—where voters are limited to candidates from their own registered party—California’s system places all candidates for a given office on a single, nonpartisan ballot open to every registered voter, regardless of party affiliation.
In this format, the two candidates who receive the most votes in the primary advance to the general election in November, even if both are from the same party. This setup can lead to intra-party matchups in heavily Democratic or Republican districts, effectively turning the primary into the decisive contest in one-party dominant areas.
In the open 11th Congressional District, a deep-blue seat encompassing most of San Francisco, the jungle primary structure significantly shapes the dynamics. With eight Democrats, two Republicans, and one independent on the ballot for the June 2, 2026 primary, the real battle is among the crowded Democratic field for the top two spots.
Wiener is the endorsed establishment candidate being backed by the political machine that has long controlled San Francisco politics. The real threat to that machine is Chakrabarti, who is a political outsider who hasn’t been shy about his criticism of the political machine that acquiesese to Israel’s genocide-centric agenda.
Supervisor Connie Chan is a stalking horse candidate. Pelosi doesn’t intend her to win the race, but is hoping that her support will boost her candidacy enough to block Chakrabarti from the general election. Pelosi is a Zionist who has long been backed by monied Israeli interests. Pro-Israel groups’ support for Chan—could prove pivotal in determining who advances to the November election.
Critics of the top-two system argue it can
suppress voter choice by creating same-party general elections and favors well-funded candidates or those backed by powerful outside interests. Supporters contend it encourages broader appeal, reduces extreme partisanship, and gives independent and crossover voters more influence.
In this high-stakes San Francisco race, the system has amplified the impact of late-cycle independent expenditures aimed at influencing which Democrat ultimately represents the district.
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