A candidate in the crowded Democratic primary to replace retiring U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky said Tuesday he plans to drop out of the race following a pressure campaign from AIPAC, an influential but controversial pro-Israel lobbying organization.

The development appears to be a boon to state Sen. Laura Fine, another Democratic candidate who supports Israel and seems to have received the interest group’s tacit backing.

Bruce Leon, an Orthodox Jew and a staunch supporter of Israel, said the American Israel Public Affairs Committee pressured him for months to drop out of the 9th Congressional District race to consolidate support for Fine, who has more widespread backing and has been endorsed by dozens of Democratic leaders in the district. AIPAC’s push was previously reported by the outlet Evanston Now.

The final straw for Leon came this week, after AIPAC successfully pressured leaders within his own Orthodox Jewish community to also push him to the sidelines, Leon told the Tribune.

“AIPAC has been breathing down the rabbis’ necks,” Leon, who said he previously donated thousands of dollars annually to the organization, said this week.

The North Side and north suburban 9th District seat has long been held in Congress by Jewish representatives. Before Schakowsky, who is Jewish, was elected in 1998, the district was represented by the late Democratic U.S. Rep. Sidney Yates, who was also Jewish, for nearly five decades. However, changing demographics, redistricting and next year’s open primary could cause that to change.

AIPAC has sent fundraising messages in support of Fine, and she has received tens of thousands of dollars from AIPAC-aligned donors.

Yet Fine this week continued to say she hadn’t sought the controversial group’s endorsement.

Asked repeatedly Monday whether her campaign had been in contact with AIPAC and how she felt about the organization, Fine didn’t answer directly.

“I’m a proud Jewish woman who supports Israel, and I’m the co-chair of the Jewish Caucus in the Illinois Senate. So it’s no surprise to me that people are putting us together, because I’m a pro-Israel, Jewish woman,” she said.

Fine added that she believes people support her based on her legislative record, which includes measures to improve health care affordability.

Asked whether she would acknowledge the political maneuvers from AIPAC that appeared to be to her benefit, Fine said: “I have no idea, because I have no control over what they do.”

AIPAC’s fundraising arm is the largest pro-Israel political action committee in the country and one of the most powerful for any issue in the country. AIPAC pushes its allies in Congress to support Israel’s interests, including through continued military assistance that has come under scrutiny during Israel’s attacks on Palestinians in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel by Hamas.

AIPAC has also been criticized by progressive Democrats who point out that Republican donors have helped fund AIPAC’s efforts to elect allies of Israel.

The organization fears a win in the competitive congressional district Democratic primary by either Evanston Mayor Daniel Biss or commentator Kat Abughazaleh, two progressives in the race who have been more critical of Israel’s government, Leon said.

This week, a “rabbinical edict was communicated to Leon” from top local Orthodox Jewish leaders asking that he drop out of the race “due to community security concerns highlighted by two weeks of lobbying by high level leaders in AIPAC,” according to an email from Leon’s campaign.

Antisemitic violence has been an ongoing concern for Jewish leaders, particularly since the Oct. 7 attack. Leon said he believed AIPAC connected the concern about antisemitic violence to the Democratic primary, suggesting to the Orthodox leaders that a win by a candidate who isn’t aligned with AIPAC’s interests could incite an increase in antisemitism.

AIPAC has also said that a progressive win in the relatively early Illinois primary could trigger a domino effect and more wins for progressive candidates in primaries throughout 2026, Leon said.

Representatives of AIPAC did not respond to requests for comment.

Biss, who is Jewish and whose mother grew up in Israel, has been endorsed by J-Street, a more liberal pro-Israel group than AIPAC. Abughazaleh, a 26-year-old political commentator who rose to prominence through social media, is Palestinian and has been critical of Israel’s attacks on Palestinians.

With more than a dozen other candidates in the race across the Democratic political spectrum, even a relatively small coalition could win the nomination in the deep-blue district.

In Fine, AIPAC may see “an opportunity to push back against what was a formidable opponent in Jan Schakowsky,” who represented the district for decades, said Joshua Shanes, a longtime resident of the north suburbs who is now a professor of Jewish history at the University of California-Davis. Schakowsky described herself as a supporter of Israel but at times criticized its government.

Steve Sheffey, a former district resident who now writes a newsletter called the “Pro-Israel Political Update,” believes consolidating pro-Israel support around Fine would be a mistake. Sheffey — who identifies as progressive and supports Biss — said he thinks Biss “is fantastic on Israel,” distinguishing Israel itself and its current government.

“They should not get involved in this race,” Sheffey said of AIPAC. “There are so many races in this country that should matter much more to them.”

Leon said he did not feel it was an option to fight the group of local rabbis who were pushing him out, as he didn’t want to cause a split in his community. He plans to announce an endorsement with a “coalition” on Monday, he said.

“I’m not a rebel here,” Leon said. “Maybe a little bit of a martyr, but not a rebel.”

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