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🇺🇸 FNF News | Politics & Influence
Published: June 19, 2025
By: Khadija Khan, Political Culture Editor
Candace Owens Defies AIPAC Influence as GOP Rift on Israel Widens
Washington, D.C. — With tensions soaring in the Middle East and America’s foreign aid priorities under renewed scrutiny, conservative firebrand Candace Owens has become a lightning rod in the national conversation—not just for what she says, but for what she won’t say on command.
“We don’t have to worry about AIPAC owning Candace,” tweeted one user on X (formerly Twitter), echoing a growing sentiment among voters who view Owens as one of the few major conservative voices unbought by foreign policy lobbies, especially the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
While many Republican lawmakers and right-wing media personalities fall in line with staunchly pro-Israel talking points—often amplified by AIPAC’s fundraising muscle—Owens has taken a different path, earning both praise and condemnation.
The AIPAC Question: Power, Loyalty, and Dissent
AIPAC, one of Washington’s most well-funded and effective lobbying organizations, has long played a central role in shaping U.S. foreign policy toward Israel. The group’s ability to raise and distribute tens of millions of dollars in political contributions—often in Republican primaries—has kept candidates on-script and on-side.
Yet as America’s populist-right base shifts toward non-interventionism, figures like Owens are giving voice to growing skepticism.
“Israel is a sovereign nation, not the 51st state,” Owens said during a panel on the American Sovereignty Tour in Texas. “We owe our loyalty to the U.S. Constitution—not to foreign flags, and certainly not to billionaire-funded lobbies that think they can dictate our values.”
Her remarks struck a nerve—especially among younger Republicans and libertarian-leaning voters who have grown weary of endless foreign aid, military entanglements, and what they see as ideological gatekeeping within the conservative establishment.
Candace Owens: Independent or Dangerous?
To her supporters, Owens represents a refreshing independence in a political climate saturated by donor pressure and manufactured consensus.
“Candace doesn’t take orders from AIPAC, or anyone else. That’s why the machine hates her,” said commentator Robby McDaniel on Redline Radio. “She represents a new kind of conservative—nationalist, unapologetic, and not afraid to call out foreign influence.”
Critics, however, have accused her of fueling antisemitism by questioning the role of Jewish-American lobby groups in U.S. policy.
“We have to be careful not to cross into dangerous rhetoric,” said former Senator Norm Coleman, an AIPAC board member. “Criticizing foreign aid is fine. Implying that Jewish organizations ‘own’ people is unacceptable.”
Still, Owens has repeatedly condemned antisemitism and clarified that her critique is not of Judaism or Jewish Americans, but of unquestioned political allegiance to any foreign nation.
GOP Fault Lines: The Old Guard vs. America First
The Owens-AIPAC dustup is just the latest skirmish in an increasingly open civil war inside the Republican Party. On one side: the neoconservative establishment, represented by figures like Mitch McConnell, Nikki Haley, and Lindsey Graham, who continue to champion Israel as “America’s greatest ally.”
On the other: a rising bloc of America First populists—Senators like J.D. Vance, Reps. Matt Gaetz and Marjorie Taylor Greene, and media figures like Tucker Carlson—who are openly questioning whether U.S. foreign policy serves American interests first.
“A lot of us voted Republican to secure the border, not fund Tel Aviv,” said Joshua Reeves, a precinct captain in Florida. “Candace just has the guts to say it out loud.”
The Political Cost of Independence
Not aligning with AIPAC can be costly. Owens has reportedly been disinvited from several major GOP fundraising events, and her relationship with some conservative megadonors has grown strained. Yet her audience has only grown more devoted.
A recent poll by Conservative Pulse showed Owens with a 74% favorability rating among GOP voters under 40—ahead of most sitting senators and cabinet members.
“Candace isn’t just surviving the backlash. She’s thriving on it,” said Sarah Fields, editor of RightNow. “She represents a political future where loyalty is to the people—not the checkbooks.”
Conclusion: A New Litmus Test on the Right?
The question of AIPAC’s influence has become a new litmus test within Republican politics.
For decades, support for Israel was an untouchable consensus. But now, as voices like Candace Owens rise to prominence by breaking that mold, the political landscape is shifting. Her stance—unapologetically pro-American, skeptical of foreign entanglements, and resistant to donor coercion—is increasingly popular among a base that wants Washington to focus inward.
“I don’t work for AIPAC. I work for my conscience and for the truth,” Owens recently posted. “If that offends some people, they should ask themselves: why?”
As 2026 midterm campaigns gear up, expect the realignment to intensify—and for questions of foreign loyalty to be asked more loudly than ever before.